Dormant Siren
by HigherMagic
Summary: Vampire AU. The bar erupted into applause again as the dying chord rang out and Castiel dared to open his eyes and turned to see Dean. Castiel bit back another desperate, wanting sound. "One word, Cas, and he's ours." Castiel bit his lip and nodded.
1. Dormant Siren

Title: Dormant Siren  
Author: HigherMagic  
Pairings: Dean/Castiel, Dean/Sam (mentions of/non-graphic, non-Wincest)  
Rating: NC-17  
Summary:_ The bar erupted into applause again as the dying chord rang out and Castiel dared to open his eyes and turned to see Dean. Castiel bit back another desperate, wanting sound. "One word, Cas, and he's ours. I could have him disappear without a trace by midnight," Gabriel growled, and Castiel bit his lip again, and nodded._  
Notes/Warnings: Prompted by earth_heart, who wanted Top!Vampire!Cas and Turned-Vampire!Dean. Contains dub-con and very dirty things like blood and stuff :D THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DO THIS TO ME, BENNY. *blames him completely*

Um…alright, guys, this is not my best work. I mean, it turned out okay, but it's not my best *awkward pause.*

So many dirty things in here though…Oh sweet Lord, I can't even… *runs away* This is so…NOT what I was planning for! Still, I hope you like it! *cowers and slinks away into her corner*  
Unbeta'd. All mistakes are my own.

* * *

Castiel saw him before he heard him.

A long, uninterrupted line from the slight curve of his relaxed spine to the strong extension of his outstretched leg, bracing himself against the bar stool he perched on with carefree effortlessness, the heel of his other booted foot resting on the foot rung and keeping himself upright. His legs were encased in comfortable but flattering jeans, clinging to the full curve of his ass and the tempting tease of his tensed thigh, muscles straining to balance his weight.

His torso was covered by a thin, tight black t-shirt with an open green-and-black plaid button-down over that. The shirt choked his biceps and the button-down was rolled to just past his elbows, giving him a kind of country, rustic casualness that Castiel could appreciate. His boots were a dark tan like those issued for BDUs in the Armed Forces, loosely laced. His entire posture was of relaxation and carefree happiness.

His t-shirt collar was stretched slightly from many instances of being pulled over his head, and had loosened so it dipped in the middle, exposing where his neck became his chest, a teasing glimpse of skin and the hollow of his throat. There was heat between his legs, under his arms and around his neck where he was beginning to sweat from the heat of the overcrowded bar, but not enough to begin the dark stain that Castiel could see down the backs of several other patrons in the bar.

His forearms were exposed and lightly smattered with blonde-brown hair, ending in large hands that caressed and held an acoustic electric green-and-black Epiphone guitar. There was a silver ring on the third finger of his right hand, and the fingertips of his left were calloused. He held the guitar like a lover, plucking a few of the strings to check for tuning. The notes were pure and clean, blending together as he played through a little Metallica riff –

The A string was a little flat.

There. Perfect ear. He adjusted the A string to play the perfect note, plucking a C chord for a moment before smiling in a satisfied way. His left hand slid up and down the neck like a caress on skin, one that Castiel imagined he could feel as he watched, soft guitar music playing in through the amplifiers and around the settled ambiance of the bar.

He sat on a raised platform with one other man who mirrored his position; only instead of a guitar he just had a microphone. The guitarist, too, had one. The stage floor was criss-crossed with electrical wires and the mic was picking up the duo's muted sounds of laughter and chatter as they waited to begin to play. It was simply but effectively lit, with two amber-yellow lights and a white one in the center. The guitarist sat in the middle of the left-hand yellow light, stage right, and the amber lightly kissed his skin, making it golden. He looked exotic with his full, flushed lips and the high rise of his cheekbones, stained red with the beginnings of a blush from the heat, and the shadow of his short, spiky brown-blonde hair falling across his forehead, making one eye flash bright green and the other a darker jade.

As Castiel watched, the second man that he didn't even pay attention to adjusted his microphone and it squealed softly as everything must in a setting like this, and the room went quiet. There was no introduction – there didn't need to be. This was a local bar – everyone who came here always came here. There was hardly ever a new face. As Castiel watched, the guitarist started plucking a soulful little riff, the notes coming out of the amps that were pointed stubbornly towards the rest of the bar, quietly enough that it could be ignored but loud enough that someone could hear it even above the constant susurrus and laughter.

The riff kept going, getting a little more complicated for a moment, the guitarist's fingers dancing over the strings and he dipped his head, lips parting and foot-runged boot tapping out the beat, slow and melodious, and his eyes fell closed, just feeling the music for a moment. A minor chord, a Seventh, and the second man started to sing;

_"He deals the cards as a meditation, and those he plays never suspect…"_

Castiel smiled, knowing the song, liking it, but too enthralled with the guitarist to even notice when his Second, Gabriel, sidled up next to him, following his gaze with a flash of golden-hazel eyes and an upward turn of his sharp, sly mouth.

Castiel licked his lips. "He's pretty," he said softly, barely audible.

Gabriel's mouth twisted a little, and he pursed his thin lips, nodding. The action sent his slicked-back honey-blonde hair tumbling forward and he pushed it back with his fingers again before replying; "Which one?"

"The guitarist."

And Gabriel nodded again.

It was just a few words exchanged, but that was all Castiel needed – a few words. It was a code and way of his speaking that Gabriel had learned long ago, when Castiel was just getting started, when he had first sank his sharp second set of teeth into his brother's carotid and feasted himself on his blood, when he'd slit his own wrist with their father's old Bowie knife and held it to his famished, thirsty brother to drink and fill himself and join him forever. Castiel took the prettiest, the talented, the loyal and the strong. He took them and made them his children, his followers, his kind.

'He was pretty' meant 'I want him, but I'm not sure which way yet or if it's even worth the risk'. Blood lust or carnal lust, Castiel, as a creature of darkness and base instinct, had to think about which one each person would ever satisfy. He could desire this new target as a Child, as someone he could teach and train and make strong, or as someone he could mould and love, fuck, break. Someone he could turn. But of course, if it seemed like the blame could too easily be pointed his way, he wouldn't make a move. It wouldn't do to get Hunters on his trail, after all – Hunters were getting stronger and so were other creatures like him. It wouldn't do to just go through towns and cities on a massacre and fall prey to his whims, turning anyone and everyone he took a liking to. No, that wouldn't do at all.

He liked _finesse._

_"The sacred geometry of chance…The hidden law of a probable outcome…"_

Gabriel cocked his headed to one side, looking towards his brother and Alpha. "He is," he replied, which meant 'I might make a move if you don't'.

Castiel's eyes narrowed and he licked his lips again, like a dog. "Yes," he said softly, and then turned away from the alluring sight of that guitarist making his instrument sing for him. First things always came first – recon, learning the new target and learning what stories or people they would have to take care of before taking him away forever.

The bartender was always the best option. Castiel was new in town and the man watched him with narrow eyes as he approached, giving a little huff of acknowledgement and not even looking away when he set down the polish-in-progress glass, instead leaning on the other end of the bar.

"What's yer poison?" he asked in a rustic accent, rough around the edges.

Castiel smiled, flashing a little too much teeth. "Just whatever's local," he replied, not giving a care for the alcohol because, to be honest, it was all good to him. He had yet to try a drink and not like the taste. Nothing special ever leapt out at him but nothing was ever bad.

The man grunted and set down a bottle of beer in front of him, taking off the cap. Castiel didn't even look at the label before taking a swallow. "That man up there," he said, gesturing with his bottle, pale fingers curled loosely around the neck. "What's his name?"

The bartender raised an eyebrow. "There's a lot of men up in that direction," he replied, not giving Castiel an inch, wary with his reply and hesitating like he knew just the type, could get the vibe from Castiel and knew when any information was too much. Castiel just smiled. "The singer's name is Jake. The guitarist is Dean. He's my boy." There was a growl on the end of that and Castiel smiled, holding up his free hand in a peaceful gesture.

His eyes flashed back to the duo, and that's when Castiel heard him.

_"I know that the spades are the swords of a solider…"_

His accent was Mid-Western, maybe from Kansas or Nevada in origin, and when he sang in a harmony he threw his head up, tendons arching in his neck, shadow and light playing over his skin like a happy child, touching and caressing and his – Dean's – fingers flew over the neck of the guitar, barely pressing on the strings but the notes that came out were so lovely and strong.

_"I know that the clubs are weapons of war…"_

Castiel couldn't help but smile, hearing his drawl through the microphone, blending so prettily with his friend's baser voice and the hum of the guitar. It was beautiful. Simple, but beautiful.

_"I know that diamonds mean money for this art –"_

"So what brings you here, stranger?" the bartender asked, snapping Castiel out of his haze. It was amazing – no human had ever struck him so quickly. The creature blinked his bright ocean-spray eyes and smiled in apology, taking another gulp of his icy beer because the press of humans was making him feel warm. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Gabriel hovering, watching him and the crowd all at once because Gabriel was good like that.

Castiel smiled back at the suspicious-eyed man, watched his eyes narrow and his lips turn down. "I'm just passing through," he said, adding a country inflection to the end of his voice, trying to tone down how out of place he was – he couldn't help it, but sometimes his accent just slipped through and he had to remind himself to stay with the times. It was harder the older he got. "Me and my brother were driving down to Vegas. He's gettin' married next week." A large grin and a childish roll of his eyes and the man relaxed, accepting the story and going back to the glass he'd been polishing before Castiel's arrival.

Unbidden, the creature's eyes flashed back to the duo performing as the song drew into the middle eight; _"I met a man with too many faces. The mask I wear is one…"_

"Not to pry or anything, but he looks kinda young to be hanging out in a bar."

The bartender smirked a little. "He's my boy; as long as he doesn't get himself into trouble he's welcome here. Been coming since he was a grasshopper's height. Easier to keep an eye on him this way."

"He old enough to even be drinkin'?" Castiel asked, prying for just that little more.

"He'll be twenty next month and that's good enough for me."

Castiel nodded, smiling as he finished his beer. "Well, thank you for the drink," he said, fishing out a five and leaving it on the smooth oak bar. "We'd best be going. I'm not convinced Vegas won't disappear if we wait too long."

_"That's not the shape…shape of my heart…"_

The bartender smiled a little, the one song enough for Castiel to worm his way into the man's heart, and pocketed his money. It was all the creature ever needed – smooth talking and a little green. "Nah, stay a while. I'll get you and your brother another drink."

Castiel smiled and gestured Gabriel over, turning so he was leaning against the bar and facing Dean and Jake as the singer waved towards the scattered applause. Dean, he noticed, just ducked his head demurely, fingering the strings as though nervous, antsy to play some more.

"Alright, guys, we're gonna pick up the pace a little now," Jake said, smiling into the microphone, and then he sat back, gesturing to Dean again, who bit his lower lip. Castiel stiffened, watching him as he did so; white teeth sinking into the soft, red flesh, letting it slide through his teeth and out again. It was as though in slow motion, the edges just catching on the slightly raised skin of his chapped lips and then releasing, making it red and slightly swollen. Castiel sucked in a breath, digging his fingers into the oak bench behind him.

Dean smiled over at his friend, doing it again, and then slid effortlessly into another song, and it was faster. Castiel watched as a few of the patrons started nodding their heads to the beat of the song, set as Jake took a Djembe drum that had been resting on the side of his own stool, placing it between his legs and batting out a mildly Cuban-style beat.

After eight bars of intro Dean scooted a little closer to the edge of his stool, leaning over the guitar to start singing; _"Like a gift from the heavens, it was easy to tell – it was love from above that could save me from Hell."_

His voice was whiskey-gravel, blended into one low, rough growl that held a melodious edge that enthralled Castiel. The vampire straightened, eyes wide and set on Dean. His lips fell open, his breath grew short, and his nails dug gouges into the defenseless oak bar.

"He's _beautiful,_" Castiel gasped out, staring at Dean like a starving man eyeing a steak.

Gabriel nodded, putting a hand on Castiel's shoulder and turning his Alpha away from the sight, towards the two beers that had been set behind them at some point. Wordlessly he grabbed Castiel's beer and handed it to his brother, eyes silently ordering him to drink and to calm himself down, to get control of himself.

"He's beautiful, Gabriel," Castiel groaned into the label of his beer, eyes falling closed, and he bit at the meaty part of his thumb, stifling another whimper like it was causing him physical pain to stay still, to not rush up and claim that beautiful man with an audience. Gabriel's hand settled, warm and heavy, on his back. "_Fuck, _do you hear him?"

_"-started to dance, every soul in the room keeping time with their hands and we sang-"_

"You want him," Gabriel stated softly, already knowing, and Castiel nodded. The older vampire – only older because he physically had five or six years on Castiel before being turned – leaned in, his lips just touching the outer shell of his little brother's ear; "Then take him."

Castiel's eyes flared open again, darkened already with lust and desire, and he swallowed, taking another swig of beer to try and get control of himself. He could feel himself becoming more _aware, _as he always does when about to feed. Every heartbeat, every voice and sound, all were for him to hear. Dean's rough drawl of a song carried to him, musical and brilliant to his ears. He imagined he could hear the steady, rhythmic slide-rasp of his fingers playing along the strings of his guitar and his fast but lovely, steady heartbeat.

_"And we danced on into the night!" _

The bar erupted into applause again as the dying chord rang out and Jake tapped a drum beat to finish. Castiel dared to open his eyes and turned to see Dean, flushed a little, resting his hands on his guitar and holding it close to his body like it was a shield, eyes turned bashfully downwards, his long lashes catching the light and playing shadows across his cheek bones. Castiel bit back another desperate, wanting sound.

"One word, Cas, and he's ours. I could have him disappear without a trace by midnight," Gabriel growled into his brother's ear, and Castiel bit his lip again.

"He's mine," the Alpha vampire warned; "I want my blood to be his craving."

Gabriel nodded, melting away into the shadow of the crowds, out through the door, and Castiel was left to enjoy the rest of the show.

Dean and Jake played song after song, taking turns with who led the vocals, but it was always Dean with the guitar. Dean, playing over that instrument like it was precious and a living, breathing thing, making it whine and shiver and sing for him, brought alive under his magnificent touch, those strong, capable hands coaxing lovely tunes from the bronze-steel strings. Castiel knew that it was only surface desire that made him covet the man, the man that he'd never spoken to, never touched or met before, but his instincts were very difficult to ignore when they were that strong. Castiel didn't even know what he smelled like, or _was _like.

_I bet he smells like oil, _Castiel mused to himself, eyeing the black residue, slowly stroked to the surface as Dean played, the bronze coating being rubbed away and left behind on the calluses of his fingertips. _And…and…_

"Alpha." Castiel was snapped out of his thoughts by Uriel, Gabriel's first turned, sought for turning purposes only. Castiel's family was large and varied, spreading out throughout the entire Americas and a little in Europe as well. He was by no means the dominant race, but he was pretty close, bested only by werewolves and demons. Blue eyes flashed to dark, deep brown. "Everything is set."

Castiel smiled, and it wasn't a particularly nice one. "Good," he said, eyeing the guitarist once more before setting down his long-empty beer. The bartender was nowhere in sight and as time had gone on the bar had begun to empty. There were only a dozen patrons left. "Then let's not delay."

"Okay, that's almost it from us," Jake said into the mic as the last chords of their latest song faltered and died away, ended by the flat of Dean's knuckles over the strings and putting a halt to their hum. Castiel found himself wishing Jake would let Dean talk instead of blathering into the microphone – he'd rather listen to the other smoky stranger than his kind-of-whiney sidekick. "We're gonna bring it on home with a favorite of my boy Dean's."

_Not your boy, _Castiel thought to himself with a sly smirk on his face, _mine._

"Dean-o, take it away." A twist to his mouth. He didn't like being called 'Dean-o'. Castiel made note of it. The Alpha vampire sat back, smiling to himself as the soothing beginnings of 'Nothing Else Matters' began to sing to him through the amplifiers, not cheapened at all by the static because his sensitive ears could pick up the true song of the guitar, unmuted because of the acoustic side of it, so he could actually hear the real resonance in the hollow black-and-green shell. Dean's voice was beautiful, singing the song so prettily, not overriding the softer tones of the single guitar. The lack of drums or second guitar didn't deaden the beauty of the song at all, or at least, not of Dean's version. Castiel stepped closer, unable to help himself, winding through the bar to that hypnotic riff, and when he got closer…

That's when he smelled Dean.

He was, by no means, the most enticing scent Castiel had ever smelled. But it was the one that, combined with the outer packaging, demanded Castiel's attention the most. Mouth-watering, tempting, base. Chemicals and science could never achieve something that this _Dean_ made so effortlessly. For a brief, split second in a moment, Castiel hated Dean, because no one human should ever be that tempting. He smelled like oil, like machines. He must have worked near them or spend a lot of time around them, but he also smelled like an animal, like sex in a forest or long runs down asphalt, like a warm bed and a welcoming body. He smelled like heat and Castiel would lay his money and immortality on the bet that he tasted even better.

Castiel stopped himself at the second row of tables, finding one empty, and Dean's fingers played over the strings softly, and the other patrons of the bar sensed the sunset in the air, as they began to pay their tabs and leave, trickling out one by one over the course of the song. Castiel could feel Uriel's eyes at the back of his head and he knew that somewhere Gabriel was lurking too, waiting to spring their net for the soon-to-be-newest member of Castiel's family. The Alpha vampire felt himself, for the first time in a long time, grow impatient, wanting, _lusting _after those final notes, desperate for the song to end, longing for the finale even though it meant Dean would stop singing with that beautiful voice.

_He'll scream so prettily too._

It ended eventually, as things often must, and those remaining in the bar – three or four – shared their applause for it, and Dean smiled, finally parting with his guitar and setting it down on the stage. He clapped Jake on the back, his cheeks flushed from heat and performance, sweat trickling down his back and along his temples, plastering his soft hair to his forehead. Whenever he moved he stirred eddies of scent Castiel's way, and it was hard to control the lust the Alpha vampire was feeling. He had to get control of himself – he was better than this, damn it.

"See you later, man," Jake said, going backstage to turn off the amps, and Dean smiled, watching him go, before the lights were shut off and the main room lights flared to life, and Castiel winced at the sudden change, and Dean flinched as well, putting a hand to his forehead to shield his eyes until they adjusted, blinking in the comparatively low light.

When the human's eyes flashed to Castiel's, it was blue meeting green, lust meeting surprise, but the vampire shifted his body, smiled, calmed himself. Dean's heartbeat jumped a little, seeing such a predatory gaze focusing all on him and Castiel forced himself to appear friendlier and less, well, less like a predator. He couldn't scare the man, after all.

It was bad business.

_He's so young, _Castiel thought, watching the man – boy, even to human men – watch him back, before Dean bit his lip, making it redder as it had throughout the course of the night, his skin no less golden in the lighting of the room, his lips no less full, his eyes no less bright. _So young, so pure_. There was a low undercurrent of arousal in the air and Castiel was pretty sure that it was not just from him.

Castiel smiled when Dean slunk off the platform, wincing at the stretch of muscles that hadn't moved for hours, and cracked his knuckles loudly, shaking them out. He was deliberately not watching Castiel, unsurprised when he looked up to find the man suddenly there.

"You play very well," Castiel noted, his lips turned upwards, but he looked like someone who had never smiled much before, his body burning and his teeth elongating, ready to feed now. He had to hold himself back and it was proving difficult – up close, with less than three feet between them, the boy called to him more than ever, and Castiel began to wonder if his instincts were telling him that Dean was more than just a new Child. He held his hand out, wanting to feel the human's warmth. "Castiel."

The boy flushed at the compliment, green eyes flashing down and then back up, and he met Castiel's hand, warm palm sliding against his cooler one, and work-sweat against lust-damp. "Dean," he replied, smiling around the edges of his shy, wary demeanor. Castiel cocked his headed to one side.

He let his eyes travel. He didn't need to be so close to take in every detail of Dean, but in this proximity the human would be able to see him admiring. Nineteen, the age of hormones and school and stress, of work and play and fun before life became a shithole. Young enough to be daring and old enough to be smart about it. Pure but lustful.

Perfect.

Castiel's attention was drawn again by Dean biting his lip, his cheeks blushed in the most gorgeous shade of red, and the boy looked down, sucking his lower lip into his mouth, his hand tightening just a bit around Castiel's. The vampire smiled, unapologetic for his blatant, lustful stares, and decided to go one step further – maybe this wouldn't be as difficult or complicated as he had planned for. Maybe it could be simple. He pulled Dean closer by the hand and let their bodies collide together; the teen caught off balance and sent reeling into Castiel's hard, welcoming body. Vampires ran cold but when full of blood and around humans for long enough; they took in the heat from their food and their company, and could almost seem human, warm and soft around the edges, if it suited them to be so.

Dean's warm breath skated over Castiel's skin and the vampire shivered, overwhelmed at the feeling of a warm body against his own, and he indulged himself, allowing a small inhale at the boy's neck, bringing his free hand up to drag through the sweat-dampened hair.

"You're a beautiful young man, Dean," he whispered, uncaring how it made him sound because Dean couldn't fight him off even if he tried. The boy stiffened in Castiel's arms and the vampire inhaled, sensing a whole new range of scent coming into play, lust and fear, anxiety and arousal, Dean's breath coming in quickly and pushed out shakily, his eyelashes fluttering a little against Castiel's cheek when he turned his face inwards, his body relaxing, just a little, into the vampire's addictive siren call.

Then, he tore himself away, flushed from embarrassment, staring at Castiel like he'd just told Dean he killed puppies for a living or something. His hand and body slid away from Castiel and the Alpha immediately missed his warmth, and stepped forward in pursuit, but Dean skirted away from him, putting a table between them. His heartbeat was ricocheting in his chest and his breathing was coming fast, lust and fear in equal measure, adrenaline and oxytosin. It was delectable and Castiel licked his lips once more.

He smiled a predator's smile, leaning casually forward, bracing his hands on the back of a chair. "Something the matter?"

"I have a mate," Dean snapped, and it caught Castiel by surprise. Not that Dean was taken – oh no, that didn't surprise him in the slightest…Jesus, _look _at the boy – but that he used that particular word. He blinked at Dean, cocking his headed to one side.

"A…what?" he hazarded.

"A mate," Dean repeated, brow furrowing in a slight frown. "That's what you things call them, right? Significant other, boyfriend, girlfriend, life partner, whatever the hell it is. I have one, okay? So…" Dean paused, shaking his head, looking down for a moment, lips falling open and breathing labored. Castiel smiled just a little at his target's flushed state. "So just…whatever it was you're trying to do, stop it."

"My apologies," Castiel said in a genteel voice, straightening, his smile lined with razors. "I didn't know you were claimed. You didn't smell mated in any way, and I didn't mean to be so presumptuous." He paused again. "I take it your mate is supernatural then?"

Dean nodded.

"And you have no problems or reservations about that?"

Another nod.

"Interesting," Castiel mused, and in a flash he was next to Dean again. The teen made a surprised noise and tried to shy away, but Castiel had already gotten him, grabbing Dean's arm, ignoring him when the human tried to fight back, and slammed Dean onto his front on the table he'd tried to protect and shield himself with. He was over Dean in a flash, twisting the human's arm up behind his back to the point of being at risk of dislocating his shoulder, his hips pressed flush against Dean's ass and the teen gasped, shaking his headed, though whether it was in refusal or shock, Castiel didn't know or care. The vampire's lips grazed Dean's ear when he spoke; "That's a lie, Dean, and you can't lie to a vampire." A choked off gasp greeted his words and Castiel smiled, his teeth elongating in his mouth as he treated himself to a little nip at the pulse point below Dean's ear, just barely breaking skin. "I see you've at least heard of my kind then. Anyway, that's a lie – any creature like me wouldn't think twice about claiming you, about biting you or marking you in some other way and you are not claimed." He jerked Dean's arm a little, almost angered by that. "You don't smell it, you don't look it, and I know you _aren't._ So…that leaves two options I can see." Another small bite to Dean's neck and the human gasped, trying to shake Castiel off, but the vampire wouldn't let him – Dean tasted of sex. He didn't understand it because every human had a taste, and the hormones of fear and fight usually made the blood bitter, but Dean tasted like sex. Castiel felt like he was fucking him, drinking down his blood, it tasted that fucking good. Even with the small kittenish licks he was indulging in he was getting hard, so hard, grinding himself like a mindless animal against Dean's ass, and the human was trembling underneath him like a Goddamn virgin. "Option One – you're lying to me about being okay with this 'mate', if he or she exists at all…" He nipped at Dean's ear, causing the human to jerk his head to one side to try and avoid it, and Dean pressed his cheek against the cool wood of the oak table, eyes closed, cheeks flushed, breathing deeply to calm himself. "Or, Option Two – you don't actually have one. Each option makes you a liar, Dean, and I don't appreciate being taken for a fool."

Dean swallowed, and Castiel watched the bob of his Adam's apple as though enthralled. There was sweat gathering at the back of the human's neck and he dragged his nose along the beads of moisture, licking them up with soft, kittenish licks, and Dean shivered, sensitive all the way down his spine.

"He wanted to wait," Dean whispered, fist clenching so tightly that he was in danger of drawing blood. "Until I was old enough, some stupid shit like that, but he's definitely fucking real and if you don't let me go I'm going to make sure he hunts you and your entire fucking Coven _down_."

Castiel chuckled again, purring at the scent of blood and sex in the air, burying his nose in Dean's lightly bitten neck, his hand relaxing from Dean's wrist just a little, dragging Dean's arms up to pin them above his head on the table. "And why would you do that when _I'm _obviously so willing to give you what he wouldn't?" the vampire purred, liquid venom trickling into Dean's ear when Castiel grinned, feral around the edges. "One sip of my blood and you're _mine_."

"He'll smell you on me," Dean growled, but his anger couldn't hide his panic as his eyes flashed open again. "He'll hunt you down no matter what happens to me."

"And you take solace in this."

Dean swallowed. "I might."

Castiel grunted, cocking his head to one side at the absurdity of human logic sometimes, and sighed lightly, rolling his hips once more against Dean's, and the human gasped, clenching his eyes, jaw and fists tightly shut as he shied forward, trying to get away from the touch and the reciprocation his body betrayed him with, bucking his hips into nothingness at the very sound of Castiel's voice, so rough and low in his ear, so different from Sam's, so much more…_carnal. _Sam was gentle, too afraid to do more than kiss Dean and yeah, Dean could get that, but it had been four fucking years. A guy has needs and vampires weren't exactly the most repulsive supernatural race out there.

The vampire's blue eyes darkened, feeling his brethren draw closer, anticipating his newest Child and already making arrangements to transport him and get rid of any evidence that Castiel was ever there. He didn't have time to waste.

"I can give you what you need," he whispered into Dean's ear, confident in that, and while the human swallowed and shook his head, his body told Castiel all he needed to know, and the vampire smiled when he took both Dean's wrists with one hand, slender fingers wrapping around the joints, and bit into his own wrist, tasting his blood that he was always thought tasted kind of like peppermint patties (weird, he knew, but still). He sucked some of his own blood into his mouth, and then pulled away from Dean, flipping the human over before he could think, and then he was at Dean's mouth, biting his way into a dominating kiss. His extra set of teeth caught on Dean's lips and the human let out a choked little gasp, but he couldn't help himself because there was something primal about blood drinking, from the first drop of his Creator's blood in Dean's mouth the transformation began.

It was actually quite extraordinary.

From the first touch, the first contact, Dean tasted the blood and it changed him, sunk into his very pores, plundered his veins, and Castiel's hold tightened while his newest Child cried out, poison in his throat, burning him. He held Dean's back but the Child was stronger than he realized and Dean shoved him off and rolled onto his knees, shoving two fingers down his throat to try and vomit up the poison, but Gabriel was faster than that and he pulled Dean away before he could, forcing the human to just whine pitifully and take it. Dean threw his head back, trying to crack it against Gabriel's and the vampire smirked. "He's a fighter."

"He should be," Castiel replied, grinning as he knelt in front of the writhing man, taking his chin in hand and admiring him for a moment before his strong, flailing legs could catch the vampire off guard again. "He is beautiful." He stood, nodded to Uriel and his other children, and they came forward and held Dean down, tied him up and took him to the van. Castiel bared his teeth, the ruckus drawing the attention of Dean's father downstairs. That would have to be taken care of. "Don't wait up, alright?"

Gabriel nodded to the rest and let them go, and he stayed behind with Castiel because he _always _stayed behind with Castiel. The Alpha vampire smiled down at his brother and Child, petting through his hair once, briefly, before they headed down towards the basement, heard the man pottering up the stairs, and bared their teeth, feral. The bartender wouldn't make it home tonight.

* * *

When Castiel returned to the settlement that he had claimed as his own personal house, Dean was locked up and well on his way in the transformation. Gabriel stood as a sentinel outside of the changeling's cage, watching his thrashing, writhing body with a kind of stoic look that made Castiel wonder what he was thinking about.

The lesser vampire turned, smelling his Alpha, and smiled a little in greeting when Castiel approached, before both men turned to view the changeling. Dean's body was drenched in sweat, plastering his clothes and changing the color so the green was darker, the black different shades. His jeans were muddy and his shirts were ruined with blood and sweat, his fists clenched as his body tried to reject Castiel's venomous blood, tried and failed. For now there was no screaming – there wouldn't be until the final stages. This boy was stronger than that. Castiel smiled at the thought, watching as Dean's body arched, tendons standing out in his neck and forearms, raising the pale flex of his muscles and marring the pattern of his veins, and he let out a pathetic animal-sound, akin to a growl or a mewl. Castiel licked his lips, not bothering to hide how much he was enjoying the show – the scent of arousal was heavy in the room and next to him, Castiel could hear Gabriel's breathing pick up, smell his brother's answering scent.

Castiel and Gabriel had never slept together, but desire was an unavoidable side effect of drinking the Alpha Vampire's blood, or the blood of the vampire that turned you. Since Castiel was both to Gabriel the effect was double, which was another reason Castiel never doubted Gabriel's loyalty – he was the Second, turned for companionship. Because of that link, Gabriel was uniquely attuned to Castiel and, though nothing ever came of it, was helpless to reject his Creator's call when it was sounded.

That was why Castiel had wanted to turn Dean himself. He wanted the boy to _need _him back and get a taste of his own damned medicine.

It would take a full day for Castiel's blood to make it all the way through Dean's body, but building up to that, Dean would start to become a little more aware. Probably already able to sense Castiel nearby and hear the vampires talking.

"How's he been doing?" Castiel asked, just to see if he'd get a reaction. He did. Dean's eyes flared open, glassy and glazed over from pain and sensation and he gasped, body arching as though Castiel's voice alone was a physical lightning strike through his spine. He rolled away in defense, trying to curl in on himself and fight off the invading force, the poison, but he couldn't and Castiel smiled in victory.

Gabriel returned the smile, flashing hazel eyes over Dean's body in a predatory way, admiring the beautiful arch of his spine, the trembling of his muscles, how he shuddered around his breaths and seemed to fight for every damn one. So intense was his look that Castiel almost growled at him in protective defense, guarding _his _kill. But of course Gabriel would never touch something that belonged to the Alpha. The lesser vampire dipped his head slightly, baring his neck, and let Castiel know he meant no threat by admiring the view, and Castiel subsided, satisfied by his brother's submission.

"This is the first time he's opened his eyes. He was relatively quiet once we got him in the car and gave Uriel little trouble." A swallow of excess saliva. "He managed to injure himself, though…" Castiel's eyes flashed to Gabriel's face. "He reopened your bite and it's been bleeding more heavily than it should be."

Castiel nodded – that explained all the excess blood. He inhaled, nostrils flaring to pick up and memorize Dean's new scent as it twisted and sharpened, growing spines that stung Castiel's nose and made sure he remembered them.

Gabriel continued after a moment – "Do you want me to look into this mate of his? We wouldn't want any trouble or attentions sent our way." The Alpha vampire nodded, smiling, and Gabriel straightened a little. "I'll get right on it, then," he said, before placing a kiss to the knuckle of his first finger and then pressing it against Castiel's unbitten, unmarred neck, and then took his leave, disappearing through the only exit and entrance into Castiel's private room.

* * *

Castiel waited with Dean while the boy changed, sitting just outside the bars of his cage – for his own protection, of course. Castiel had placed Dean within his private suite – no one was allowed in unless given explicit consent, and even then only Gabriel ever dared come close. The suite was grand but not lavish, with a large central area, a bathroom that was never used extending off to one side and stairs ascending to Castiel's bedroom and another smaller living area. Underneath the staircase was a large storage room that Castiel had adapted to become a cage for changelings that he took a particular liking to. Like Dean.

A vampire's heart will start beating if it is distressed or aroused or around humans for too long. That was why the only sign that let Castiel know of Dean's change, of his completion into becoming a vampire, was the fact that he sat up. Castiel's eyes zeroed in on the motion, watched his new Child take in his surroundings with bright and clear eyes devoid of the glazed look he'd had before, using muscles that protested the acidic venom still lingering in his cells. Castiel smiled, and waited, letting Dean get himself used to his new state of awareness.

Dean took in a quick, sharp breath, and winced at the pain in his chest. His body felt like he'd tried to make it run a thousand miles then got the crap beaten out of it. Lactic acid build-up, except he knew it wasn't that. He knew it wasn't just soreness from exercise.

He'd never known that being a supernatural creature would be so…_intense._ He grimaced, smelling himself. He smelled like stale sweat and mud and blood – God, how could Sam _stand _it? And around him was the scent of saliva and semen and oil and old wood, older paper, paint drying, mint and chocolate, ink, more paint, a different kind of paint, clothes –

_Mint and chocolate._

He whirled around, meeting the eyes of his Creator, backing himself away so his back was pressed against the far side of the cage. Castiel watched him go with a vaguely amused smile. "Good…evening, Dean," he said, eyes flashing to the wall for a moment where a large ornamental clock was squatting on a shelf. The ticks echoed off the white walls. "How do you feel?"

"How do I-?" Dean started, then cut himself off, wincing at the burn in his throat when he tried to speak, dried out from screaming and with a ragged-sharp pain on his neck. With shaking fingertips he pressed against his neck, feeling the edges of Castiel's bite. "You changed me, you son of a bitch!" he growled, eyes flashing a darker shade and Castiel grinned, cocking his head to one side. "I'll kill you!" Still, despite his threatening words, he hadn't moved, just continued to glare at Castiel from behind his bars.

The Alpha vampire smirked. "I'm sure," he purred smoothly, leaning forward and his smile widened as Dean leaned back, biting his lip and trying to keep away. Castiel kept approaching, flicking the mechanism that allowed three of the bars most away from Dean to slide down into holes in the ground and Castiel stepped through. The changeling's breath hitched for a brief moment, smelling his Alpha and the pheromones for a moment before he shook his head, pressing more against the cold stone wall. His eyes flashed to the small opening in his cage but before he could do anything the bars slid back up and locked into place, trapping him.

Dean's eyes darkened, his scent heavy with fear, his heart slowing down as the transformation fully began to take effect and he cooled from his body heat, and Castiel smiled, kneeling down in front of Dean, watching him for a long moment. "What are you going to do to me?" Dean whispered, because he'd heard horror stories from Sam and his Pack about what vampires did to their prey, even after turning them. He didn't know what would happen to him if he managed to escape and ran to Sam, but he didn't want to die either. Plus, with the way Castiel was looking at him, he honestly feared for his future at the hands of this powerful creature.

_So many possible responses to that,_ Castiel thought with amusement. "There'll be time for that later," he purred, leaning a little closer to his new changeling and Dean flinched away when his hand reached forward, trailing his fingertips along the boy's cheek. "For now, rest up and sleep. The transformation and first days take a lot out of a young vampire."

"And you won't…do anything?" Dean asked, fearful eyes skating over to Castiel and away again to focus on the bars that opened and closed the cage. "While I sleep? You'll leave me alone?"

"I promise," Castiel replied, smiling a little more before he moved back towards the bars, again flicking another mechanism that he made sure to keep hidden from Dean as he left and waited until the bars resituated themselves before he turned his back on the cage. "Rest, Dean," he said, walking out of the room; "I shall return shortly."

* * *

When a vampire turns another, a connection is formed. In time, if this connection is not maintained or renewed, it fades and becomes background noise. That was why Castiel managed to feel it when Dean became distressed again, and hurried to his new Child's side.

Dean was clawing at his throat, drawing in dry breaths and shuddering on the exhale. He was gaping, looked like someone was trying to choke him, looking like a fish out of water, on all fours facing away from the bars. Whatever air he managed to get in became a cough and his body was trembling from…he didn't know. Dean's body _burned,_ he felt _hungry, _thirsty, so fucking thirsty…He _needed_, he _wanted._

When Castiel entered the room, he knew immediately what was happening. When young children are hungry they will cry – when young vampires are hungry, they hold it in their scent. One inhale told Castiel all he needed to know as he approached the cage and slinked inside, turning Dean to face him.

Wide, terrified eyes met the Alpha. "What…?" Dean coughed again, dipping his shoulders as he coughed into his hand, trying to shield his body and protect himself. He made a small, distressed sound. "What's happening to me?" he asked, fear heavy in his scent and voice.

Castiel smiled, threading a hand through his Child's soft brown hair and jerking Dean's head up. "You need to drink and sate yourself," he told the new vampire, watching for a while before comprehension dawned on Dean, and the boy tried to jerk away but Castiel's grip held firm and their eyes remained locked.

"I'm not drinking human blood," Dean growled in defiance, interrupted by another cough, one that racked through his whole body, and he was shivering and sweating as though fevered. "I…I won't…can't do that…"

"I never said anything about _human_ blood," Castiel quipped in reply, bringing his other hand to his mouth and biting down on the inside of his wrist, shedding his blood. At once Dean stilled, new, sharper senses picking up the scent of the blood that had turned him, that changed him, that rode in his veins now and the vampire that he'd associated with it. His lips fell open, his nostrils flared and he stopped struggling, staring with wide eyes at the little drop of crimson welling up around Castiel's lips, desire unlike he'd ever known slamming into his body full-force, making him gasp. His eyes darkened and he growled a little, this time in want, his body shifting more into an attack stance, getting his legs under him, fully prepared to pounce on his meal.

He was on Castiel in a fraction of a second, licking like a dog at his Creator's lips to get at that scent, _Castiel's blood. _What was astounding was how the Alpha let him – relaxed against the cold stone floor and let Dean ravage his mouth, tear at his lips, the boy's tongue dragging along his own and learning his mouth. Dean found and explored the divots in Castiel's gums where his second set of fangs extended, half-out already from biting himself and Dean mewled a little when his tongue was pricked, shying away, becoming a little more chaste with the kiss for a moment as his hands kept moving, trying to find comfortable places to settle on or around his Alpha's body. One of them landed under Castiel's unbitten arm, the other by his opposite hip, close enough to feel Dean's arm there but not so close as to actually grip Castiel's body. Even out of his mind with bloodlust, such a young vampire wouldn't dare touch his Alpha in such a dominating way without permission.

Castiel's arms went around Dean's shoulders and the changeling stiffened when he smelled more of Castiel's glorious blood. He withdrew from Castiel's flushed, bitten-red lips, panting fast and breathing hard, staring down into bright ocean eyes, sharing his breaths with his Alpha, feeling Castiel's heart beating in excitement and arousal, and Dean turned his head, finding Castiel's wrist where it rested on his shoulder, and pushed at it with his nose, finding the taste with his tongue and he began to lap it up like a kitten, purring like one too. Castiel smiled, petting through Dean's hair as his Child drank, delighting in how quickly he'd gotten Dean to cave.

The Alpha pushed his Child away very suddenly, sitting up, and Dean whined pathetically, blood smeared around his lips and eyes bright with want, crouched in front of Castiel and staring at his Alpha with pleading eyes. "Come here, Dean," Castiel purred, holding out his wrist and the vampire licked his lips, eyes flashing between Castiel's eyes and his wrist before he crept forward hesitantly, suspecting a trap. His hands connected with Castiel's wrist and he licked over the wound again, starting to drink and Castiel moved closer. Dean shied away. "Easy, baby, easy…" Castiel coaxed Dean around so the changeling was resting, back against Castiel's chest, holding Castiel's wrist in front of him and Castiel's other hand wrapped around Dean's chest, holding him close between Castiel's legs. The Alpha vampire was hard, aching, and rubbed lightly against the small of Dean's back, but didn't press for his own need as he watched his Child drink, smiling to himself in a satisfied way, and his other hand snaked down between Dean's legs, pressing against the hardness he found there, able to smell the heat and musk of Dean's arousal as well.

The Child gasped hard enough to drop Castiel's wrist, arching back almost over Castiel's shoulder but the Alpha kept him still, shushing him gently in a whisper. "It's alright, baby, my beautiful Child," he purred into Dean's ear, biting down gently on the lobe, and Dean shuddered, tossing his head, eyes clenched tightly shut as Castiel continued to rub him through his jeans. "So beautiful, Dean, did you know that? From the moment I first saw you, I knew I had to have you, knew you wouldn't disappoint me, and you haven't. You're perfect, _perfect,_" Castiel breathed, leaning down to inhale Dean's scent at his neck and the boy whimpered, biting his lip harshly enough to draw blood with his second set of teeth, and Castiel's nostrils flared as it began to run down the side of Dean's face, along the firm line of his jaw and then down his neck. Castiel's tongue snaked out to lick at the trail. "So young, so responsive, and your _blood._" He groaned into Dean's neck, pressing down a little harder on the boy's erection, earning another pained whine as Dean writhed in Castiel's arms, hands finding Castiel's thighs and gripping tight enough to break a human's bones. "Come for me, Dean, let me see how much you need it," Castiel demanded, and Dean's eyes flared open, his lips parted in a soundless gasp as he stared up with sightless eyes, and the scent of come exploded in the air in front of him. Castiel could feel heat and dampness against his fingers where they rested on Dean's hardness. The Alpha purred. "Such a good boy, Dean."

Dean's body trembled through the aftershocks, Castiel continuing to croon little endearments and commands and praises into his ear, and when he returned to himself, and the haze of lust had faded from his mind, he squeezed his eyes tightly shut and turned his head away, forcing himself more upright. Castiel let him go and followed.

"What are you doing to me?" Dean whispered, tears slipping out from under his eyelashes, running down his flushed cheeks. He flinched when Castiel ran a hand up his spine, and turned his head away so he didn't see the vampire's face.

Castiel leaned forward and Dean shivered when he felt the cold breeze of his exhale on his skin, raising goose bumps. "Whatever the hell I want," the Alpha replied in a low, deadly voice, making Dean flinch again and whimper at the powerful undertone, hating how it sent little shivers up and down his spine. "You're _mine_ in blood and in venom and soon you'll be mine in body as well."

The Alpha vampire's cold fingers took a hold of Dean's chin and forced him to look at Castiel, bright grassy eyes sparkling with dewy tears, a delicious mix of fright and want on his face and Castiel leaned forward, brushing his lips chastely over the boy's full, bloodied ones and nosing along his adorable virgin's blush.

"You're going to force me, aren't you," Dean muttered in a deadpan voice, making it less of a question and more an inevitable truth. Castiel found it amusing.

"I am many things, Dean," he began, brushing chaste little kisses against the boy's jaw and around his salt-lined cheek. "A liar, a thief, a murderer in the strictest sense of the word, a tyrant…but I am not a rapist." He chuckled as though the idea was funny. "I don't need to be – you'll invite me to lay between your legs soon enough." Dean sucked in a breath, about to protest or push him away but Castiel's hand reached out, gently covering the bite mark on Dean's neck, left by Castiel's fangs as the vampire continued to kiss him lightly. "My blood flows through your veins and my power is your craving. Eventually you'll want more from me and I will not deny you. I will give you what your other mate refused to."

Dean shivered, swallowing loudly, a small, desperate sound escaping it at Castiel's touches, despite how innocent they might have been; his words and his voice just made Dean shiver and he hated his response, how sure of himself the vampire seemed and how, thinking of his reaction and the events that had just passed, Dean didn't think himself strong enough to resist for long. Supernatural creatures made their lives out of taking and breaking people like him and they'd had a long time to get good at it.

He closed his eyes, thinking of Sam, how worried he must be, how he'd be looking for Dean right that very second, and it gave him strength. He swallowed and pushed at Castiel's shoulders until the other vampire leaned away.

"I'd like you to leave now," he whispered, not meeting Castiel's eyes, and he didn't relax from his position until Castiel acquiesced, leaving and locking the cage and exiting the suite, leaving Dean on his own again.

* * *

"How goes it with the newest turned?" Gabriel asked when Castiel joined him in the main room of the building – a large, industrial-looking place that had large prison-like cells set into each wall, three of them along the three walls holding up to five vampires in each with blood bags attached to the outsides, like water in a hamster cage. The air reeked of warm and cooling blood and Castiel wrinkled his nose at the smell, standing next to his Second.

"He's fighting but he'll break soon enough," Castiel replied with a slight smirk, cocking his head to one side. "Have you any news on the hunt for his supposed mate?"

Gabriel shook his head. "There were no scents around his place of work or his home that suggested anything remotely supernatural, and he lived solely with his father who we took care of." Castiel's mouth twisted in dissatisfaction, realizing he'd just gotten rid of the only other person that would lead him to his newest Child's mate.

"He will not be willing to tell me who it is," Castiel mused aloud, licking his lips as he thought. "He will think I am out for blood."

"Well," Gabriel chuckled, "you are."

Castiel smiled in grim reply. "Yes, but he doesn't need to know that." The Alpha vampire sighed. "Perhaps it shall merely be a case of wooing him. Seems simple enough – people do tend to warm up to me even when I've put them in cages."

"You have a knack for it," Gabriel added in agreement, then snapped his fingers as something occurred to him. "I almost forgot." He disappeared from Castiel's side, reappearing a moment later, holding out the guitar Dean had been playing the night before like an offering towards his Alpha. It had a light smattering of dust on the body but otherwise it looked exactly the same. Castiel was able to see tiny chips in the glossy finish at the head where it must have been knocked around a little, well-loved and well-used. "I remember how much you loved his music, Alpha. Perhaps you can both get pleasure from this."

Castiel smiled and accepted the guitar, holding it up for his inspection. His fingers left bloody prints on the neck and strings as he plucked a few of them. "I think this will do very well," he said, looking towards his Second. "Thank you, Gabriel."

The other vampire flushed a little at the praise, and then nodded and turned back to watch over the newest changelings, who were kept here unless a specific elder vampire took an interest in them, until they were ready to be released into the world after the first arc of bloodlust had faded. Castiel wrapped his bloody fingers around the back of Gabriel's neck and pulled his brother closer, placing a light kiss to the bite marring his neck and Gabriel shivered, eyes falling closed, head dipping to bare his throat more, but Castiel didn't take it further because Gabriel was his brother and it would be inappropriate. He pet once through Gabriel's hair and then took his leave with the guitar, back around the rest of the house to make sure everything was in working order, before he went back to his Child with the gift.

* * *

The air reeked of tears when Castiel returned to his suite, and he paused for a moment, knowing Dean must have been crying. There were no sounds coming from Dean's cage and he approached slowly, finding Dean curled up towards the back of the cage, as far away as he could get, his legs folded up to his chest and his arms around his knees. He tensed when Castiel's body blocked out the light of the room and his eyes flared open, green finding and holding blue. Castiel set the guitar down outside Dean's cage when the changeling bared his elongated teeth at his Alpha, aggressive and angry and _hungry._ His nails were digging hard enough into his legs to draw blood and tear the fabric of his jeans.

"You thirsty again, baby?" Castiel asked in a whisper, mildly surprised that Dean was hungry again so soon, but he wasn't going to complain because every drop of blood Dean consumed just made the connection to Castiel grow stronger. Dean made a low sound of anger, one hand moving to hold his throat and he winced. He _wanted, _but he didn't want to ask. Castiel smiled and opened the cage, slinking in, and Dean flinched away, trying to press himself as far back into the wall as he could, as far away from Castiel as he could. His eyes turned wide and wary, and he shook his head, either in denial or refusal, trying to turn his body away but Castiel's call was strong and potent and unless Dean stopped breathing, he couldn't ignore it. His eyes flashed to Castiel's neck, the only part of the man that was bare, and he swallowed, able to see the dark line of his vein, and he licked his lips, following it with a bite to his lower one, whimpering as he fought back the urge to just attack and _take _and _drink._

Castiel noticed him staring and he grinned like the Devil, slinking closer. Dean whined lowly and turned his body away, but instead of moving his legs between him and Castiel so he could kick the older vampire away if necessary, he turned to the side so Castiel had unrestricted access to his neck, his back and the entire left side of his body. Dean shivered when Castiel's hands landed on him, his eyes closing tightly as he swallowed around a dry mouth again.

He was trembling, and Castiel shifted so his body was behind Dean's, his arms following the line of Dean's so he was covering his Child, his left leg extending to trap Dean in and the younger vampire whined again, trying to curl in on himself to make himself smaller. Castiel leaned forward, burying his nose at the back of Dean's neck and licking along the top knobs of his spine, earning another involuntary shudder.

"Are you thirsty?" he asked again, firmer this time, carefully pulling Dean's arms away from himself so the younger vampire was forced to lean back against Castiel's chest, and Castiel pulled Dean's arms back until they landed on Castiel's hips and clenched, finding something new to dig into that didn't cause himself pain. Castiel nosed along Dean's neck and held his wrist against Dean's mouth, inviting.

The younger vampire tried to lean away to avoid it; his eyes opened and he rested his head back on Castiel's shoulder. "The bite's gone," he said after a moment, panting loudly by Castiel's ear and the Alpha shivered, intrigued at how this Child made him react. He could feel just a little of his normally perfect control slipping, just slightly, and Dean wasn't even doing anything.

"My own bites don't harm me," Castiel whispered back, lowering his voice as he branded the words into the thin, sensitive skin along Dean's jaw, making his Child mewl and shake against him. _Fuck, _but the power trip was like being drunk. Castiel knew he had complete control over what happened to this boy, how he got to feel, what he got to do and it was just divine, really. "I don't have to bear the mark." Dean made a little sound in the back of his throat. It sounded…disappointed. Castiel smiled in victory, resting his teeth against Dean's racing pulse. "Do you like the idea of me being marked up, Dean?" he purred, loving the little whimper his words elicited from the boy, how Dean gasped and his hips bucked just a little, how the scent of arousal in the air went from soft background to overwhelming. "Like the idea of me getting bitten, of wearing someone's bite? _Your _bite, maybe?" Castiel taunted, smirking when Dean mewled again and shook his head. "No? Well, I think your body is in disagreement, baby," he said, moving his wrist away from Dean's mouth and starting down his chest, flattening his palm over Dean's thundering heart.

"No," Dean whimpered, grabbing onto Castiel's hand and trying to pull him away. "Please. Don't touch me."

Castiel laughed harshly. "I said I wouldn't rape you, Dean, not that I wouldn't touch you," he snapped with another smirk, relishing Dean's little desperate, fearful sounds. "I know you want to bite me, Dean," Castiel continued, lowering his voice again, making it smoky and sultry, whiskey and gravel in Dean's ear. "Know you like the idea of laying your claim on me; of making me _hurt,_ of getting some of your own back for what I did." Dean gasped, his breathing close to hyperventilation now – Castiel would have been worried had Dean been human. "So come on, baby. Bite me. Rip me apart."

Dean snarled at the words, his pupils completely overtaking the rest of his eye, and Castiel's neck was actually so close to him that it was easy to turn his head and catch his teeth at the hollow of his Alpha's throat. Castiel swallowed, letting Dean go and the changeling wasted no time, turning and pinning Castiel down onto the cold floor again, like the last time. His legs fell either side of Castiel's hips, the heat between his legs falling in line to ride beside Castiel's aching cock and the Alpha growled, grabbing Dean's thighs at the same time Dean's teeth sheathed themselves in Castiel's neck.

The Alpha vampire had only been bitten once in his life and that was by a woman he had considered briefly for a mate before she ended up betraying him and he'd killed her himself. That bite had healed away and his body was unmarred. Dean's teeth sank deep into his neck, as deep as the changeling could get them until the rest of his mouth stopped their entrance, and Castiel moaned, arching his body into the younger vampire's touch, his eyes falling closed as he suddenly remembered why being bitten was something his Children always enjoyed from each other.

It was like his nerves leapt into overdrive, focused on that part of his neck. Everything else became so much more intense than it usually was, and for a vampire, that was saying something. Dean's body over his was a steady weight, his heat and heartbeat burning and deafening, his teeth painful but _so good_, and he started drinking, greedily sucking down Castiel's blood like a dying man, one hand resting on the other side of Castiel's neck to hold him steady, the other bracing himself against the floor.

Castiel let himself relax, knowing it was impossible for Dean to take too much, and instead entertained himself by driving his newest Child out of his mind. He almost smirked as he remembered how resistant Dean had been to his mention of sex and how eagerly Dean was spreading his legs for Castiel now, riding his Alpha's cock in smooth rocking motions of his hips. Castiel moaned, tightening his grip on Dean's thighs and drove his hips up, and Dean made a sharp sound, choking around his mouthful of blood as he gasped at the sudden lance of pleasure in his gut. "Alpha…" He growled the word, sounding wet and wanting as he whispered it against Castiel's skin, whimpering pathetically as he began to participate, because with Castiel's blood in his mouth, sliding down his throat, and the vampire's hands on him, it felt like nirvana. It was impossible to think logically when he was like this, so driven out of his mind with bloodlust and carnal lust and he couldn't stop himself driving his hips down against Castiel's, desperate for more, harsher contact, _anything _Castiel would give him.

The Alpha vampire moaned when Dean gasped out his title, biting his lower lip hard as he tossed his head back, driving his cock up against Dean's again. They were wearing far too many clothes, but Castiel was waiting for Dean to make the first move – after all, he was a man of his word…on occasion. He wanted to prove the point that Dean _couldn't _resist him and he couldn't do that by forcing himself on the boy.

But _fuck, _did Dean make it difficult to resist and restrain himself. He still wore the clothes he'd been changed in, crusted with sweat and dry come in his underwear, blood leaking down below his knees where his fingers had dug in hard enough to break skin and dirt on his body from being manhandled and kept in a cage, but he was still the most tempting thing Castiel had ever touched. His lips were flushed and red like he'd been kissed senseless, his chin lined with blood both old and new, his eyes black with lust, golden skin flushed and sweaty and his muscles trembling, his body shaking with desire, he was divine, carnal temptation, desperate and wanting in a virgin's body, and Castiel was touching him in places no one else had, driving him to feelings no one else could make him feel. The Alpha wanted _more_, fuck did he want more. His hands tightened on Dean's clenching thighs, moving up higher so his thumbs just teased along the line of Dean's erection and the boy shuddered visibly, choking again. He was starting to slow down how much blood he was taking from Castiel's body and the vampire knew his Child would be sated soon.

Dean's body was burning hot, his heart racing when he finally pulled away, cheeks flushed with fresh blood and panting, breathing heavily through his parted, blood-wet lips. Castiel smiled at his dazed Child and threaded his fingers through Dean's hair, pulling the boy down for a long, passionate kiss that tasted of blood and desire. Dean opened up to him so willingly, so eager to please as he parted his lips and let his blood-slick tongue slide along Castiel's, sharing his dominant sire's taste, and didn't protest when Castiel rolled them over, pressing Dean down onto his back, falling between the boy's lax legs, spread wide open, his hips still working against Castiel's to bring them both pleasure.

"Mmm," Dean purred against his lips, drawing back for air he didn't need, his eyes greener now and hooded as he nuzzled against Castiel's mouth, letting their lips brush together just lightly, sucking his Alpha's lower lip into his mouth with a light, wet sound. His hands found Castiel's shoulders, gripping tightly as he gasped, arching his spine in a beautiful bow that had his chest rubbing against Castiel's, hard muscle against hard muscle, and he was coming, filling his jeans up again with a choked-off gasp, finding his sire's lips again and claiming them, whimpering when Castiel kept up the pressure through his orgasm, forcing Dean through the aftershocks until he stopped shaking.

It took all of Castiel's willpower to stop after that, drawing away without seeking completion himself, and he stood, making his way over to the bars of the cage.

"Alpha, wait!"

Castiel stilled, turning, his face unreadable but his eyes were still near-black with lust and Dean crawled forward on his hands and knees, still breathing hard, and he didn't stop until he was kneeling in front of Castiel, pinning the Alpha against the bars of his cage. The Alpha vampire bit his lip, sure he was going to come just from the sight of Dean on his knees in front of him, with flushed cheeks and full, bitten-red lips and blood smeared around his mouth, he looked like sin and innocence and it was such a fucking turn on.

"What is it, Dean?" he asked in a controlled, tight voice, and Dean's gorgeous green eyes flashed up from under long, thick lashes, and the boy swallowed before his hands trailed up Castiel's thighs towards his groin, fumbling at the belt and fastening of his trousers.

"Wanna make you feel good, Alpha," he mumbled, the words muffled as he pressed his mouth against Castiel through his pants, the damp heat making Castiel moan and buck his hips involuntarily, his control slipping just a little more. He managed to hook his fingers in the top of Castiel's trousers and pulled them down, just far enough along with his underwear to free his hard cock which was already dripping precome. Dean nuzzled at the bunch of Castiel's clothes just under his cock, smiling like he'd managed to achieve his life's ambition, and flashed eyes that had grown dark again up to Castiel. "Wanna taste you. _All _of you." His hands found Castiel's hips, holding him against the bars, and Dean smirked like the cat that got the cream as he licked a long strip up the underside of Castiel's cock, making the Alpha hiss and jerk forward involuntarily, stopped by Dean's hands.

"God_damn_it," Castiel growled, and Dean chuckled, flushing a little in delight at having pleased his Alpha. He wrapped his lips around the head, suckling lightly as he tongued the slit, exploring Castiel's cock and licking it like a Goddamn Popsicle.

The bitter taste of precome exploded on his tongue and he moaned, eyes fluttering closed, lashes kissing his cheeks, making him look far more innocent than he had any right to be, with the things he was doing with his mouth. _Fuck, _but that boy had a mouth made to suck cock. His full lips were stretched around the head as he sucked, cheeks hollowing out and he moved one hand to fist the base, nostrils flaring as he breathed through it and began to take more into his mouth. Castiel hissed at the wet heat and tightness.

"Fuck," he growled, putting a hand on the back of Dean's head and pushing him down a little more, and the boy took it without gagging, moaning a little at the treatment. "Done this before, haven't you? You little slut." Castiel bit his lower lip harshly, fangs digging into his own skin as he rocked his hips forward, trying to make Dean take him deeper, to see how much those pretty lips and that _mouth_ could take. He hit the back of Dean's throat but the boy just opened up and kept taking more of him, moaning like it was a fucking _reward._ "I wonder how you managed to get so good, huh? Maybe playing around with your mate more than I'd thought. Or practicing on Daddy's friends at the bar. Some of those guys were big – you got a thing for big guys? Men that can throw you around and show you your place?" Dean_ whined _around Castiel's cock, dragging his mouth back up and catching the smooth skin just a little with his teeth. "Fucking _whore_."

Dean groaned again, his lips now wrapped tightly around the head as his eyes flashed open again, lust-black meeting lust-black, and his cheeks hollowed once more, sucking Castiel for all he was worth, his tongue teasing just under the head at the sensitive bundle of nerves, making Castiel shudder. He tongued along the slit; fisting Castiel's cock and dragging the tight ring of his fingers up, letting his hand push his mouth away from Castiel's cock. He was panting heavily, jacking Castiel off as he smiled up at his Alpha, giving a 'come hither' look that put all of Castiel's previous lovers to shame.

"Come on, Alpha," Dean growled with a Cheshire cat smile, staring up at Castiel from under his lashes, his other hand moving from Castiel's hip to play with his balls, caressing and fondling them lightly. "You told me you'd give me what I need." He made his voice softer, playful, like a taunting child and Castiel snarled, fisting his hand in Dean's hair and yanking the boy up to seal their lips together, lust clouding his mind for a brief moment. Dean continued to squeeze and stroke his cock, purring into his Alpha's mouth, and Castiel only allowed himself a moment at Dean's mouth, feeling his orgasm overcoming him, and shoved Dean down to his knees in time to come all over Dean's face, marking the boy up with the thick milky ropes. He painted Dean's face like the finest canvas, golden skin contrasting beautifully with the white, pearly fluid. Castiel traced the line of Dean's cheek with his dripping cock, shot a string of come over his nose, into his hair, and then marked up his pretty, pretty lips.

Dean smiled when Castiel finished, sagging against the bars and breathing hard, running the hand not in Dean's hair through his own as he tried to gather up the shattered remains of his control. His Child purred, nuzzling into Castiel's spent cock, licking at the excess that hadn't landed on his face and Castiel hissed, oversensitive, shoving at the boy until he landed sprawled out on the floor of his cage. Quickly Castiel opened and stepped through the hole in the bars, resetting them before tucking himself back into his pants and turning back to face Dean.

Something was happening here, something _wrong._ Castiel shouldn't have lost control like that, shouldn't have bent to his Child's coaxing and Dean shouldn't have been so eager, so soon. And he definitely shouldn't be making Castiel doubt himself so.

He watched as his Child pushed himself to a sitting position, licking his lips of blood and come, tongue trailing over his top lip deliberately slowly before he bit into his bottom one, letting it drag out from between his teeth like he had that first night, seemingly unaware that Castiel was watching him, but the Alpha _knew _he knew. Castiel snarled, angered by his own lack of self-restraint, and carded a hand through his hair again.

"I will be back shortly," he muttered with a dry mouth, swallowing, and Dean didn't seem to hear him, too caught up with licking the remnants of blood, sweat and come from his hands and face. Castiel swallowed again and took his leave, Dean's guitar remaining on the floor just outside his cage.

* * *

"You must find Dean's mate as soon as possible," Castiel said by way of greeting when he found Gabriel again, this time in his brother's own rooms. The Second looked up from where he was sitting reading either a magazine or a book – Castiel didn't know nor did he care – before he stood and approached his frazzled brother.

"I have all my resources on it," Gabriel said, holding his hands up in a placating gesture.

Castiel growled, making a slashing, dismissive motion with his hand. "It's not good enough, not soon enough," he said, frustration making him harsher than usual towards his brother, and he turned away from Gabriel, going over to the largest window in the manor, facing out over the back garden that was dead and monochrome in the winter times. "He's not…not usual. Not right. I suspect something must have happened to him in his human years to make him this way."

There was a pause, then; "Does he react badly to you, Alpha?" Gabriel's tone clearly suggested his surprise at even the _notion _of a Child not wanting his Creator's affection and attention. Even one who had been changed against his will never stayed angry or hateful for long. "Does he gag on your blood or refuse your advances?"

"…No," Castiel replied, shoulders slumping a little as he turned back towards his brother. "No," he repeated, voice a whisper, "quite the opposite, in fact. It's…unnerving. He's more…base. I've never turned anyone already mated to a Supernatural creature – I need to find his mate and know if something could have happened to make him this way."

"I don't understand," Gabriel said after a moment, clearly pained at the idea that he didn't quite know exactly what his Alpha was asking of him.

Castiel approached slowly, a small smile on his face, and placed his hands on his distressed Child's shoulders, and laid a kiss upon his brow, then over his bite. "Don't trouble yourself with the 'why', Gabriel," he whispered into his brother's pale skin, "just get me results."

* * *

Castiel was almost hesitant returning to his rooms, only lured there by the soft sound of guitar music and humming. When he entered Dean had his back against the bars of his cage, his guitar in his lap, bracing under his arm and across his thighs, legs bent up at the knee to support it. The song wasn't one he recognized but the melody was beautiful all the same, Dean's soft voice muted a little in Castiel's quarters.

_" - though I haven't seen you, are you still there?." _A pause, Dean plucking a sad little riff to the chord his left hand held, pressing down on the perfectly in-tune strings. Castiel had to wonder if the guitar was just that high quality or if Dean had a perfect ear to retune it so well. "_I cried out with no reply and I can't feel you by my side, so I'll hold tight to what I know – you're here…and I'm never alone._"

"That's a beautiful song," Castiel said, startling Dean out of the pause he'd gone into at the end of the line, the boy bending over his guitar, his shoulders tense and his voice growing sad. The Alpha had a passing thought that the song must hold some significant emotional value for Dean. The changeling flinched away from the bars, cradling his guitar like he had in that bar – like it was a shield. Castiel noticed that every speck of dust had been lovingly wiped away. Castiel came forward and sat down on the other side of the bars, comfortably resting his back against the wall that it joined into so he was facing and mirroring Dean's position. "Who taught you it?"

"My…My mother would always sing it to me," Dean whispered after a moment, swallowing and looking down at the strings, which he plucked absently but no sound came out as his palm was muting it. "She was religious, always thought Angels were watching over me, liked the song 'cause it meant God was always watching even if you didn't think he was there." He smirked a little, the expression bitter. "She died when I was four."

"I'm very sorry," Castiel said honestly, watching Dean's face as the boy shook his head, sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose tightly, obviously fighting back his sorrow. "But it happened a long time ago." Dean nodded in agreement. A pause. "Will you sing for me some more, Dean? I loved your voice when you were performing the other night – you are a very talented musician."

Dean's eyes met his Alpha's, suspicion warring in them. It seemed he had returned to his previous defensive mindset, only reverting to that base creature that had so thoroughly rocked Castiel when greeted with the sight of his Alpha's blood. Castiel wondered briefly if Dean had some sort of split personality disorder or other psychological damage, but the thought was fleeting and passed quickly when Dean began to play again, the same song, his hands flying over the neck of the guitar and picking out a beautiful, melodious rhythm, albeit a little more complicated than it should be for a guitarist's part – it took Castiel a second to realize that Dean was actually playing the notes for a piano, managing to keep the rhythm _and _make it interesting at the same time. He must have learned the guitar when he was very young.

_"And though I cannot see you, and I can't explain why such a deep reassurance you've placed in my life – we cannot separate, 'cause you're part of me…" _Dean's eyes flashed to Castiel's, a sudden darkness in them, as though he knew exactly what the Alpha was doing every time Castiel shed his blood and let Dean drink. "…_and though you're invisible, I trust the unseen." _Dean paused again, letting a chord ring out, and then returned to the chorus. He let the song end on a sad chord, making it sound incomplete, and Castiel lamented the song itself as much as the fact that it actually had to end, meaning Dean would stop playing.

They stared at each other for a long time before Dean cleared his throat, looking down at the guitar again. "Do you believe in God, Castiel?" he murmured, flashing the vampire a look from under his lashes.

Castiel shook his head. "I don't have to believe," he replied. "Vampires don't have souls. I'm no longer God's problem." Dean frowned. "Do you believe in him?"

The boy shrugged, shuffling his foot a little, letting one leg extend so the guitar dipped, the head almost touching the floor and he rested his arms over the guitar, leaning forward. "I guess," he said noncommittally. "I never really thought about it. I guess I have all the typical questions – why so much evil if he's there and he cares? …But I guess it doesn't matter for me now." He sighed again, looking up to meet Castiel's eyes. "Does this mean I have no soul now? Being a vampire?"

Castiel cocked his head to one side. "It means that, by the time you do actually die, you will have damaged your soul so irreparably that eventually it will have just fled your body or become so scarred and misshapen that neither Heaven nor Hell will want you." Dean swallowed at that, looking away. "But that is not for many millennia, if at all." Castiel shrugged. "Another thing I am not is a fortune teller."

Dean snorted, smirking a little bitterly. "Right," he said, biting his lower lip as he stared at the door to Castiel's quarters, the one that led to freedom, for a long moment before he sighed and shook his head again. "When will you let me out of here?"

Castiel shrugged – there seemed to be a lot of that going on lately. "When I feel you are ready and willing to come out."

"I'm more than willing," Dean said lowly.

"But you're not ready. Not yet." Dean made a low sound of anger and Castiel sighed, straightening against the wall. "Tell you what," he said, meeting Dean's eyes. "We can work out a deal." Dean raised an eyebrow. "For every question you answer for me, _honestly, _I will let you out for an hour. That sounds fair, doesn't it?"

"_Quid Pro Quo_, Castiel?" Dean asked in a mocking tone, straightening up as well with a small smirk on his face. Castiel just nodded. "Yeah, alright, that sounds fair. But I want something about you too. Anything. For every question I answer, I get a fact about you, and an hour of freedom." His eyes held a challenge and Castiel was never one to refuse. He smiled.

"Deal." Dean nodded and gestured for him to proceed. Castiel paused for a moment, debating on what to ask. He could either start off small and let Dean warm up to him, racking up his hours of freedom – but that could make him less likely to answer the big, important questions that Castiel wanted answers to. Conversely, if Castiel started off big Dean could close off completely and refuse to tell him anything, freedom be damned. It was a knife-edge moment. "Do you have any kind of psychological disorder?"

Dean raised an eyebrow, a confused expression on his face. "What kind of question is that?" he asked, disbelieving and scathing. Castiel rolled his eyes.

"Just answer the question."

Dean chuckled, shaking his head. "Yeah, okay. No, I don't have anything wrong in my head. You go."

"Very well," Castiel said, leaning his head back, thinking of something he could tell Dean that was fairly innocuous. "I was born as the result of an illegitimate meeting between a claimed woman and a man who was not her 'husband', so to speak, in the year forty-six-hundred BC." Dean's eyes widened at the date, and his eyes raked over Castiel appraisingly as though seeing him in an entirely new light. "Were you ever sexually abused as a child?"

Dean blinked, frowning. "These are some weird-ass questions," he muttered, "but no, I was never sexually abused. You go."

Castiel sighed, thinking again. "You know that book, Jekyll and Hyde, and the lawyer, Gabriel?" Dean nodded and Castiel's smile widened. "That author was inspired by an encounter with my brother and I."

"No shit," Dean said, leaning forward again, setting his guitar to one side so that he could sit closer to the bars, leaning against them to see Castiel better. Castiel smiled, knowing he had piqued the youth's interest. "No, that guy said he dreamed up the story. How could you have inspired it?" Castiel's smile widened and he tapped the side of his nose, and Dean made a frustrated sound, knowing he would have to answer another question to get more information out of Castiel. "Fine. Question," he said in an irritated tone.

"What species is your mate?" Dean tensed at that, his back going rigid as he looked at Castiel with eyes dark and narrowed with distrust. Castiel raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Come, now, Dean, I just wish to learn more about you, about what other kinds of creatures you invite to your door."

Dean was silent for a while longer, and for a terrifying moment Castiel thought that Dean wasn't going to tell him, and then it came out whispered; "Werewolf," he said, looking away again, and Dean sighed heavily. "He's a werewolf."

"Hmm," Castiel replied, leaning his head back against the wall, staring at the ceiling. "That's an interesting choice, Dean," he said, more curious than anything else. "Don't you worry about him during the Full Moon?"

"You haven't told me your fact yet," Dean snapped in reply, leaning back again, arms folded over his chest.

Castiel rolled his eyes. "Very well." He paused for a moment. "I was there when Jesus was crucified."

Dean's eyes widened. "Jesus was real?"

"Quid Pro Quo, Dean," Castiel reminded him in a smug voice, smiling. "Now answer my question; do you every worry for your safety or the safety of your mate during the Full Moon?"

Dean shook his head. "It's not like that," he said, arms curling around his bent knees again defensively. "He's not like a…well, not like in the movies and stuff. He's, like, an original or something – always in control of his body even when he's changed." Dean took a deep breath, shaking his head again. "He would never hurt me."

"That's a very naïve thing to think."

"All I can say is I've spent the night with him on the Full Moon. The only thing that was different was Sam woke up in the dog bed instead of his own," Dean snapped in reply, and then his eyes widened, realizing what he'd just said. He clapped his hand over his mouth in a ridiculous giveaway.

"Sam _Wesson?_" Castiel whispered, shifting forward a little so he was right behind Dean, and the boy shied away, shaking his head but his hand still remained over his mouth. "You're mated to the _Alpha werewolf?_" Within a moment he was on his feet. "I have to go," he said when Dean made a surprised sound, turning so that he could see as Castiel left the room. Dean's cries of protest fell on deaf ears – Castiel had to find his brother.

Things had just gotten a whole lot more complicated.

* * *

"He's the mate of a fucking _werewolf, _Gabriel," Castiel snarled, storming into his brother's room again. Gabriel cocked his head to one side, looking at Castiel. "The _Alpha werewolf's_ mate," Castiel reiterated, waiting for Gabriel to make the connection.

The Second shook his head in disbelief, rolling his eyes and replacing the bookmark in his novel, setting it down and straightening in his chair. "Fucking hell, Cas, you sure know how to pick them, don't you?"

The Alpha rubbed his temples, making a frustrated sound. "And…damn it." He hurried over to the vast bookshelf that dominated one wall of Gabriel's room, holding every kind of book on every kind of creature known to man and then some. Everything anyone would ever need about a creature was somewhere on that shelf. Selecting a large, thick tome, he carried it over to Gabriel's desk and opened it, turning to the section on werewolf mates. "I remember reading something like this," he murmured, fingers running down the page as his eyes followed, trying to find the passage he was looking for. "The Original werewolves are very select with their mates. Most of them already have one…"

"Yes, I remember," Gabriel said, nodding and joining Castiel, leaning over the other side of the desk so he could read the same page upside-down. Castiel allowed it only because Gabriel spent way more time in here than he did and had read the books several times over. "But Dean is male – surely he would only be selected for breeding purposes if at all, and the Alpha werewolf is a man, I_ know _it."

Castiel's hand stopped, looking up at Gabriel. "Dean's mate's name is Sam Wesson," he whispered. "That is the Alpha werewolf – I will remember that name forever." He shivered a little, because he and Sam were far from strangers. "Can't believe we didn't smell him there…" His eyes returned to the book, and a thought suddenly occurred to him. "What if Dean wasn't there for breeding, but for healing?" he asked, looking up at Gabriel. The lesser vampire frowned in confusion. "When the Alpha is wounded, maybe with silver or something, he would want a safe place to go to lick his wounds and heal himself." Gabriel nodded, gesturing for Castiel to make his point. "What if that place wasn't a place…but a person?"

"A…place to heal?" Gabriel's brow furrowed. "A host of energy that would follow him around?"

"Or maybe a creature that knows how to give and receive it."

Gabriel's eyes widened in horror as he finally understood what his Alpha was saying to him. "Dear God, he'll be an Incubus," the vampire whispered, eyes wide in horror, face even paler than usual. "Or something like that."

"Just a keg of energy and powers waiting to be lit on fire," Castiel finished, mouth twisted, lips set in a thin line. "And I just added fuel to it, pouring fucking lighter fluid all over the fucking barrel of gunpowder." He sat down heavily, his head in his hands and screamed into his palms. "Damn it!"

"It's alright, it's okay, maybe we can fix this," Gabriel said, hurrying over to the vast bookshelf again. Gabriel fished along the 'I' section, picking out the thinnest tome there was. There wasn't a lot on Incubi but it was enough. "Maybe it's not too late to reverse or drain him."

"_Drain _him?" Castiel repeated, looking up at his brother with a mix of anger and disbelief. "You don't just go up to something that powerful and _drain _it, Gabriel. Where would all the energy go? We'd end up right in the middle of a fucking nuclear bomb."

"Calm yourself, Alpha, I'm just throwing ideas out there," Gabriel snapped back, going to his desk with the thin book and flicking through it, eyes skimming over the words with vampiric speed.

'Incubi' were, basically, large hosts of energy. They fed off of and then replaced energy used up by life itself, and supernatural creatures take up and give more energy than natural ones, because they are essentially dead and dead things take more energy to move around than live things. Making an Incubus into a supernatural creature such as a vampire was like taking a powder keg and, as Castiel had said, pouring lighter fluid on it. Just for some extra 'boom'.

The creatures themselves were often unaware of their other-worldy existence. They and their mates could live happily without knowing that they were anything other than human, because the secret to their existence was to be inconspicuous, so much so that they themselves were unaware that they existed. Otherwise things could harness that energy and kill them off, and no species wants to die.

Castiel couldn't keep feeding Dean, as that would add to the energy and possibly overwhelm the creature – it would explain why Dean was so hungry so quickly; his body was adapting to the excess amounts of power that came with being a vampire and as such needed more to sustain itself. Castiel couldn't keep feeding his Child but at this point he couldn't kill him either, otherwise who knew what could happen?

"How could we safely drain him?" Castiel whispered, looking up with wide eyes to his brother. "Could we…change him back? Maybe make him human again? Would that work?" Already Castiel could feel the burning in the back of his mind that meant Dean was getting hungry again, and with the amount Castiel let him take last time, there was no telling how large his appetite might be now. "There has to be something."

Gabriel ran over to his shelf again, bringing out one of the many tomes he had on vampires. "I think I remember reading something about a cure," he muttered, frowning in concentration as he opened the book to a bookmarked page, scouring through the tiny black writing for the correct incantation. "It won't work if you've fed him human blood, though."

"No," Castiel said, shaking his head. "No human blood. Just mine." He swallowed, unable to believe that this was happening – of all the creatures in the world to covet, he had to pick Dean! And now he was so invested and so _eager _to see the creature Dean could become that he didn't even want to do the smart thing and kill the son of a bitch. That's what happens when Incubi are around. They're such benign creatures but they create such chaos.

"Alright," Gabriel said in reply, snapping the book shut. "There are some things I'll need to get, but until then maybe you should try and see if you can make him get rid of some of his power."

"How do I do that?" Castiel demanded.

Gabriel smirked a little, raising his eyebrow and shrugging one shoulder. "I don't know – be creative." His smirk widened a little. "Wear him out. I'm sure you know how to do that."

* * *

Castiel was determined, going back into his quarters, and Dean was still as he'd left him, kneeling in front of the bars. His hands wrapped around two of them for the leverage to stay upright and peer through them. Dean let out an angry, irritated growl at Castiel's arrival. "If you've hurt him I swear to God…"

"You don't believe in God," Castiel replied, flicking open the mechanism to open Dean's cage, and then he stepped back. "Come on."

The boy – _creature, _Castiel had to remind himself – hesitated, eyeing the hole warily. "What are you doing?" he asked suspiciously, but his caution didn't stop him crawling over to the entrance of the cage anyway, hovering just beyond the border of it and watching Castiel with dark green eyes. Castiel swallowed, having to fight back his desire already, feeling disgusted now that he knew _why _he wanted Dean so much – Dean needed things like him to survive.

"You earned a few hours of freedom," Castiel answered, thinking fast, and he held his hand out to Dean. "Come on – I'm sure you'll want to clean yourself and stretch your legs." He wasn't sure if his smile looked as forced as it felt, but Dean's eyes narrowed and he bit his lip, considering, then he took Castiel's hand and allowed the Alpha vampire to pull him to his feet. It seemed like now Castiel knew, he was hyperaware – Dean's scent held another level, a base, purely instinctual call that had Castiel's mouth watering, his grip turning a little more harsh than it should be. Dean watched him with cautious emerald eyes.

"Alpha?" he whispered, and God, how was it fair that he managed to make that one word the dirtiest, most sinful thing in the world? How was it fair that just a confused tilt of his lips made them look that much fuller, that much more kissable, and how his flush made him so adorably innocent when Castiel knew from fact that wasn't true. Dean was far from innocent.

He wondered briefly if the boy even knew he was what he was, or if he was just that good of an actor.

Dean swallowed, wincing at the dryness in his throat and rubbed at his neck with his free hand like he had something stuck there, like it hurt. "Alpha," he said again, this time stronger, "it burns."

_I bet it does,_ Castiel thought with a snarl, and his upper lip curled back as he took in the faint bloodstain on Dean's face, trailing down his neck, and knew he wouldn't be able to deny Dean his blood. Not when it made him so pliant and needy and made Castiel so hard. Damn this creature and the effect he had over Castiel – two could play at this game. He yanked on Dean's arm, heading up the stairs that curved above Dean's cage. The boy stumbled but followed, because it was either that or lose his arm.

"What -?" Before Dean could get another word out Castiel whirled around, slamming Dean against the banister of the stairs. The polished wood creaked alarmingly under the blow and Dean's hands flew back to brace himself on the weakened wood, his eyes wide at the sudden change in attitude.

Castiel's lips were on his within a second, hands leaving Dean's body and holding his face instead, keeping him there. Even after all Dean had done, he still tried to refuse his Alpha, keeping his lips firmly shut when Castiel tried to coax them open, and he struggled, turning his face away. "You said you'd wait," he growled, making it an accusation, but his body didn't lie – Castiel could smell the pheromones in the air, _Dean's _pheromones, so potent and irresistible. How Castiel hadn't figured out what Dean was before now would forever be beyond him. The Alpha smirked against his Child's jaw, moving one hand between them to cup Dean's hardness and the boy hissed, bucking into the touch before he could stop himself.

"Circumstances have changed," Castiel replied, using the hold he had on Dean's neck to tug him after Castiel again, towards Castiel's bedroom. The boy dug in his heels and fought him every step of the way. "I've recently learned that feeding you the conventional way is dangerous unless I wear you out first."

Dean halted completely, tensing up. Castiel turned to look at him and Dean swallowed. "What are you talking about?" he whispered in a low voice.

_He really doesn't know? _"You feed off energy, Dean," Castiel said, deciding that perhaps a gentler method was better if he was to be successful in getting Dean back to safe, manageable levels again. He didn't know if his theory was true and, if it was, how he could even begin to _take _energy from Dean, so he had to do it the classic way. "By changing you into a vampire and feeding you as much as I have, I've been inadvertently exacerbating your condition. It's no longer safe for you or any of us to exist as you are now, so we have to work on getting rid of some of this energy in a safe, manageable way."

"So…what, I'm a bomb just waiting to go off of something?" Dean growled, trying to pull away but Castiel held firm. "Then…for God's sake, send me running or something! Put me on a Goddamn treadmill!"

Castiel smirked a little. "There's no treadmill fast enough for a vampire," he whispered. "And I can't guarantee that you won't run away if I just let you go, or you wouldn't be killed for this energy. You're shining like a beacon with it." A lie, but Dean didn't need to know that. Castiel pressed a hand over Dean's heart, which was starting up out of fear and need. "I promise, Dean, that I will take care of you, but you have to trust me, just this once."

"Why should I do that?" Dean snapped.

Castiel rolled his eyes. "Not to sound cliché but your life kind of depends on it. And…if you do this, if you let me help you, I will change you back into a…into the way you were before, and I will let you go." Dean's eyes narrowed in suspicion at the slip, as Castiel had stopped himself before he could say 'human'. Dean had never been human.

He brushed a hand over his Child's cheek, and Dean closed his eyes, taking a shaky breath. His body was trembling and it was obvious he was afraid, not understanding, but Castiel's patience was wearing thin. The boy opened to him with sweet surrender when Castiel kissed him once again, coaxing Dean's lips open and his tongue to come out to play. The vampire, now that he was aware of it, could kind of feel a weird tingling in all places their bodies touched, and he wondered if this was just because it was Dean or because of what Dean _was._

He guided Dean towards his bedroom and the boy followed, focusing more on Castiel's touch than where it was going to lead, concentrating on the now instead of letting his nerves overtake him thinking about what was going to happen. There had only been kissing and heavy petting with Sam – he'd never had sex before because he and Sam had been together since Dean was fifteen and Sam had always been able to smell when another person was getting too close to Dean, and Sam wouldn't sleep with him until Dean could be bitten. He was insanely territorial and Dean swallowed back his guilt, hoping Sam would understand this when he found Dean.

Dean's shaking hands came to rest on Castiel's shoulders, too nervous to really touch and explore, but Castiel didn't seem to mind when he closed his bedroom door and pinned Dean against it, dirtying their kiss until he was ravaging Dean's mouth, tasting and learning every part of him and Dean whimpered, shoulder's dipping, hips bucking into the maddening, unmoving pressure of Castiel's hand. The Alpha smiled into the kiss and moved his hand from Dean's erection to the back of his thigh, lifting it up to settle around his waist, giving something for Dean to grind against. The boy whined, rutting against Castiel shamelessly, losing himself in the scent and feel of his Alpha, his Creator, of the pulse singing in Castiel's veins, so tempting but too far away – Castiel wasn't going to let him feed unless Dean did this. The sooner Dean satisfied Castiel, the sooner he could be let go. Sam would understand.

Castiel's hands were shameless – he tore at Dean's clothes, baring the skin he'd been fantasizing about since first laying eyes on the boy. Dean's chest was toned but not overly muscled, his skin smooth and there was a thin scar trailing from just under his collarbone, over his head and ending just above his abdomen. Castiel laid his hand across it. "This is the mark, isn't it?" he whispered against Dean's jaw, and the boy shivered, eyes falling closed. Castiel 'hmm'ed at that lack of answer, then ignored the scar and tore at the rest of Dean's clothes, making goose bumps raise on the changeling's skin with every new inch bared. He wanted to lave at the skin, mark every inch of it with his teeth and tongue and so thoroughly devour Dean that, even after all this, the boy would have no doubt as to who he belonged to, but there was no _time_. Thousands of years Castiel had been alive and now he had no time.

When Dean was naked, his clothes lying in tatters on the floor, Castiel pulled him to his bed, pushing the boy down onto his back. Dean gasped, feeling exposed under the vampire's predatory gaze and shied away, trying to crawl up the bed but Castiel held him down easily, rolling Dean over onto his stomach – his own cock was hard and straining in his pants, demanding he take this beautiful creature and claim him permanently, but that was just the problem – if he fucked Dean and came inside of him or let Dean swallow him, it would just be counterproductive, giving Dean more to feed off of. He had to wear Dean out completely before even thinking about his own pleasure.

He could do that, though. He'd had years of practice.

Dean mewled, his hands clawing at the satiny sheets on the bed as Castiel rocked against him, all hard warmth and power bearing down on him, and the boy tossed his head to one side, baring his neck for his Alpha, his eyes falling closed as his body began to surrender to the desires singing through his blood. It was insane, how much this older vampire affected him, and Dean knew it must be something to do with being a vampire, but he wouldn't think very well right then and all he knew was that he _needed_. Something, anything – his throat burned and his body felt fevered and empty. He bucked up against Castiel, feeling his Alpha's hard need against him and he whined again.

"Please, Alpha, please…"

It was so swift a change it almost caught Castiel off guard, but he recovered quickly enough, biting his lower lip and placing a soft kiss over Dean's bite – the sign of affection he used for all his Children. Dean shivered at the electric contact, arching his body to rub along Castiel's in a teasing little bow that had the Alpha snarling into his neck.

"You're such a teasing little slut," Castiel growled, unable to stop himself as his hands began running over Dean's body again, touching like the boy belonged to him, and Dean whined when Castiel's teeth scraped along his neck, little pinpricks of pain joining with the shards of pleasure coming from whatever random place on his body Castiel happened to touch. "So greedy for it – I guess it makes sense. Things like you need this kind of crap and even despite thinking you're human, you can't fight it…won't fight it…"

Castiel's hands went under Dean's belly, forcing him up onto his knees, ass in the air and face buried in his bent forearms, just offering himself to Castiel like a whore. The Alpha bit his lip, growling and kneeling between Dean's spread legs. His hands moved to Dean's spine, stroking down the sensitive skin, nails digging in to leave little red lines behind and Dean moaned into his arm.

"_Please,_" he whined, pressing into Castiel's touch desperately, and the vampire smirked, bending down to nose at the small of Dean's back, his breath ghosting along Dean's skin and making him shiver. Castiel moved a little lower down, the bed creaking as he shifted, and spread Dean's ass cheeks with his hand, licking just above Dean's entrance, his tongue swirling teasingly across the tight ring of muscle. Dean shuddered, caught between shying away and pressing back, and Castiel could feel his body jerk at the unexpected but fantastic sensation. Castiel licked him again, flattening his tongue to cover Dean's hole, tasting musk that was just a concentrated scent of _Dean._ Having come in his pants twice over the past two days, Dean's thighs and groin was already crusted with his come and it was just so _dirty_ that Castiel shivered with it, smiling as he began to lick into Dean's hole, spreading him just a little wider and Dean cried out, clenching in surprise, unsure how to react to the sensation when Castiel's tongue penetrated him. Castiel's hand snaked between his legs, grabbing a hold of Dean's cock and finding it rock hard and leaking. He smirked.

"Like this, don't you," he growled, pulling away to place a harsh bite to the fleshy part of Dean's ass, making him squeal and jerk away, but his cock stayed hard. Castiel snarled into the smooth, un-tanned skin, kneading Dean's other cheek with his free hand, squeezing a little before landing a hard smack there. Dean cried out but wiggled his ass back into the pain, liking it. "You're such a _slut, _Dean," Castiel said, almost awed by it, "willing to take anything I'd give you, aren't you?" He moved his mouth back to Dean's hole, hand rubbing the stung skin, already reddening from Castiel's hit, and Dean moaned brokenly, shivering and trembling, but staying still like a – "Good boy."

When Castiel leaned in to taste him again, Dean opened up a lot more readily, his body shuddering with the need to be filled by _something, _anything, and when Castiel deemed him ready enough, he slipped in a finger beside his tongue and Dean graciously accepted that too. He spread his legs a little wider, rolling his hips into the tight ring of Castiel's fist and then back to fuck himself on Castiel's face. It was hotter than Castiel would have believed, seeing this untried creature so wanton for him and Castiel had barely done anything. Dean was shuddering through his orgasm within minutes, spilling all over Castiel's hand and the bed sheets below him, his body tensing around Castiel's finger, inner muscles clenching so _tightly_ and Castiel bit his lip just _imagining _that heat and tight squeeze around his cock.

Dean whined as he came down, still rocking himself into Castiel's hand and the Alpha was amazed to find that Dean had needed barely any recovery time – he was hard again in seconds, just as desperate as before, and Castiel had just enough to think that it must be because of the excess energy before Dean was begging for him again, fucking himself against Castiel's finger desperately, greedy hole trying to take more, take him deeper.

"You want more, baby?" he whispered into his Child's ear, plastering himself over Dean's body and biting down hard enough on his neck to draw blood. Dean jerked, his body trembling as he held up both his own weight and Castiel's, pushing up so he rested on his hands as well to give Castiel more access to his neck, writhing underneath him like a desperate bitch in heat, moaning and begging and _fuck._

"Please, please, Alpha…Castiel…God, _fuck me,_ please!" Dean cried, eyes clenched tightly shut, teeth bared, and body so warm and in so much _need _it was painful. He didn't know what was happening – had never done this before – and it was terrifying him but his body knew what it wanted, even if his mind didn't seem to. "Please, Cas, I need you."

"Shh," Castiel coaxed, removing his finger from Dean and the boy made a whining sound of protest, bucking to try and find it again, and the friction against Castiel's cock was maddening, making the Alpha bite down harder into Dean's neck. The boy shivered and bit his lip to stop himself coming again as Castiel's hand kept stroking, kept Dean constantly in motion with his gloriously perfect touches. Dean felt Castiel's fingers press against his neck, and he shuddered when he realized Castiel was going to slick him with his own blood. It was so _dirty_ that Dean moaned, almost collapsing face-first onto the mattress again, so desperate to just get fucked, as in yesterday.

"Please," he whispered, just to drive the point home, and met Castiel's eyes when he turned his head, his own black with lust and shining with a silvery sheen and Castiel growled, closing his eyes. Dean's blood was sliding down his throat like sex and honey, and Castiel was just about ready to fuck his new Child into the mattress, to 'wear Dean out' as much as physically possible before they changed him back and Dean became too fragile to risk being so rough with.

Castiel pressed two slick fingers into Dean's hole in one smooth motion, the boy whimpering at the sudden burn and stretch, and Castiel soothed him gently, nuzzling into his bite and licking along Dean's neck where he was still bleeding, and up under his ear and below his hairline. The boy was trembling but he wasn't trying to push Castiel away and that would have to do for now. His hips were rolling in a teasing, sensual grind against Castiel's hand, trying to force him deeper, Dean's breathing heavy and harsh but honestly Castiel was doing no better, too much teasing and half-satisfaction blending together and building up to be too much. Castiel growled, letting go of Dean's cock and undoing his pants just enough to free his cock, spitting into his palm, slicking up his own erection, and he pulled his fingers out. Dean whined, trying to follow him, looking over his shoulder to meet Castiel's eyes, and lust-black met silver when Castiel took a tight hold of Dean's hips and lined himself up. He paused, waiting for Dean to invite him in (because there are some things Castiel likes to humor himself with) and only did so when Dean bit his lip, pushing his hips back so the head of Castiel's cock just started to press against his hole.

Dean was a vampire. He was more than that, in fact. He wouldn't break with a bit of rough handling, so when Castiel started to push in, he didn't stop. Not when Dean whined and shied away from the sudden intrusion, so much bigger than Castiel's fingers and not nearly as wet as he would have been comfortable with. He didn't stop when Dean reached behind himself, finding Castiel's thigh and pushing at him, trying to force him away, and he didn't stop until he finally bottomed out, once again bending himself over the sweating, shaking boy who was gasping into too-hot air, his throat burning with thirst but his body's hunger momentarily satisfied, feeling more full than he'd ever been in his life. It was painful, sure, but he was honestly so _full _and sated that he didn't care, for a brief moment. A line of sweat rolled down the side of his face and Castiel licked it away, rocking his hips into Dean and earning another breathless gasp.

"There we go," Castiel breathed, his own words ragged-edged and tense as he fought the urge to just pound into the boy until he came, filling Dean up. The point was to wear _Dean_ down, not feed him, and Castiel had to stop and get control of himself otherwise this would be over way too soon. He pet down Dean's flank, taking pleasure in how much the boy was trembling, purring into the side of Dean's neck when he rocked his hips again, pressing against something inside of Dean that made pleasure flare up inside of him, hot and heavy, and made Dean jerk in Castiel's arms.

"Alpha," he gasped, breathless.

Castiel smirked and did it again, pulling out just a little and then pushing back in to build up a shallow rhythm. He wrapped a hand around Dean's cock once more, fisting it back to full hardness, his other hand creating bruises on Dean's hips as he began to fuck his Child in earnest, wanting Dean to come again as soon as possible. Dean was hot and so _tight,_ virgin tight, around him, beautiful and breathless and Castiel was going to have his fill.

When Dean finally came for the second time, Castiel had to pull out in the middle of it so that the incessant, gloriously tight heat of Dean's channel didn't send him into his own orgasm inside of Dean, and ended up jerking himself onto the sheets. When Dean tried to lick him clean, desperate for anything to soothe the fire in his throat, Castiel didn't let him, and instead used his release to slick himself up and fuck Dean again. It took one more round before Dean finally collapsed, exhausted and – Castiel thought with satisfaction – _drained. _He ended up coming all over Dean's chest, marking up that scar that lay over his heart and then licking it clean, making sure Dean had nothing to feed off of or satisfy himself with that Castiel didn't provide intentionally. The boy was so exhausted he could barely move, just laid on the bed staring at Castiel as the vampire cleaned him, swallowing every now and again to soothe the ache in his dry throat.

"Alpha?" he asked, sounding very young and afraid again and Castiel's eyes flashed to his. They'd reverted to their normal jade color. "Can I…" Dean swallowed. "Can I feed now?"

Castiel smiled, plastering himself over Dean's body and nuzzling into his Child's mouth, kissing Dean slowly, drawing it out until Dean was mewling underneath him, trying to get his unresponsive body to react to the pleasure of Castiel's touch, but to no avail. Castiel had well and truly exhausted him. "Soon, baby, I promise," he said, nuzzling Dean again with a small smile, and then stood up, clothing himself again, and held out his hand for Dean. The boy took it, too tired to care for his nakedness as Castiel led him back down towards his cage, docile until he saw the bars drop and he frowned.

"I thought you said you'd let me go," he growled, angry, fighting against Castiel's hold.

The Alpha growled a little and threw him into the cage, locking it closed before Dean could react. "I didn't say it would be an immediate release," he replied stiffly.

"Bastard." Dean's eyes were glaring bloody murder at Castiel, his hands curled into fists, teeth bared and second set starting to elongate and set over his usual set.

"I'm trying to help you," Castiel growled, and left it at that, disappearing from his room before Dean could get the last word in. The changeling snarled in anger, unable to believe he had let himself be used like that, and punched the wall in frustration. The cage was meant to house changelings so it was too strong to break through but that didn't stop him trying. He was too tired to do any lasting damage, and curled into a ball in the further-most corner of the cage, trying to will himself into sleep, but the pain in his ass and where Castiel had touched him kept him up well until his Alpha returned.

* * *

Everything was set. Dean had been reclothed in some of the clothes Gabriel had stolen from his house while doing recon. Unfortunately, Gabriel had also found scents of werewolves around the place and the vampires knew that it wouldn't be much time before the wolves found their scents and started to hunt them down. Taking the Alpha's mate never ended well for those who tried.

It was simple but effective – Castiel handed Dean the concoction to drink and the changeling took it, distrust obvious in his eyes but he was in no mood to refuse a possible cure – and besides, what else could they possibly do to him? It smelled of ashes, Dean knew there were probably many unpleasant things in it, mostly because it was hardly all liquid, but he choked it down anyway, gripping the cup in both hands because withdrawal from Castiel's blood was making his hands shake, and he drank it down like mother's milk. There was a split second of nothingness, and then Dean fell onto the ground, emptying the poison of Castiel's blood from his body, onto the marble floor. It was rank, foul, smelled of rotting meat and eucalyptus, of all things, and it burned his body on the way out. He could feel his fangs extend, fought out of his body, trying to stay in and failing. His body convulsed, dry-heaving onto the floor when nothing else was coming out. He screamed until his throat was hoarse, eyes clenched tightly shut, trying desperately to suck in air around the venom and just managing to succeed. Gasping, he stayed like that for a good fifteen minutes, too paralyzed with pain to move, and then he heard it.

Howling.

The werewolves were on them – their animal smell stung Castiel's nose. He snarled, keeping Dean close to him because the boy was probably the only thing that would save his life at that moment, and Dean was stumbling along behind him only because Castiel was probably going to take him to Sam and that could only be a good thing. He was slower as a human (or whatever his non-vampire variant was), his heart jack-knifing and distracting to Castiel, more tired, breathing heavily, needing to rest but Castiel wouldn't let him – they had to find the Alpha wolf. Already Castiel could smell the blood of some of his children being slaughtered, and that was just bad business. Gabriel had gone to free most of the older changelings so that they would be able to fight and help the Elders defend themselves, but if the werewolves had come with an army then they had to act fast.

"I have your mate, you son of a bitch!" he yelled when he reached the front foyer of his house, brandishing a silver blade. "Come and get him!"

To Dean, it was like the wolves just appeared in the blink of an eye, but Castiel watched them approach. The Alpha stood in the center, three flanking him on either side. He was huge, bigger than Castiel remembered him being last time, his hair long and falling either side of his face, strong jaw and fists tightly clenched together to stop them moving. The Alpha's nostrils flared, taking in both Castiel and Dean's scents and his eyes darkened. His upper lip curled back at the same time a growl echoed around the marble foyer and Dean flinched away, only held back by Castiel's hand keeping a bruising grip on his shoulder.

"Sam," Castiel said in greeting, dipping his head. The Alpha nodded stiffly in reply.

"Castiel."

Dean's eyes widened, looking between the two powerful creatures, and really, his heartbeat was getting very distracting. "You know each other?" he demanded, caught between confusion and surprise and anger.

"Give him to me," Sam said instead of replying, holding out his hand towards Dean as though expecting him to just appear there. Castiel's grip tightened just a little and Dean hissed, covering Castiel's hand with his own, trying to pry it off, but of course he couldn't.

"Summon all your wolves," Castiel demanded, "and call off your attack on my house. I will forgive your trespass if you forgive mine."

Dark hazel eyes watched Castiel for a long moment, the Alpha wolf silent, before he nodded, his face going curiously blank for a moment. Dean flinched in surprise when, suddenly, the room was full of werewolves, some of them with their teeth and claws extended, blood around their mouths and hands. The scent of blood was nauseating even for Dean, who gagged into his sleeve, his eyes meeting Sam's again when the wolves moved around to stand behind their Alpha, no longer forming a ring around Castiel, and the Alpha vampire let Dean's arm go.

It hurt to move – Dean's legs felt like they were made of jelly but he managed to get over to Sam's side, and collapsed in his mate's arms, burying his face in Sam's strong chest and wrapping his arms around him. He almost sobbed in relief, feeling Sam's warmth and his strong, steady heartbeat against his ear. Sam's arms held Dean close, petted through his hair and Sam placed a light kiss to Dean's temple, inhaling his scent before he stiffened and looked back towards Castiel, murder in his eyes.

"You bit him," he accused, a snarl in his voice.

"And I changed him back," Castiel replied, straightening, holding his head high. "I didn't realize what he was and I made a rash move, one that I amended as best I could under the circumstances." The Alpha vampire sighed, biting his lower lip, an expression as close to sheepishness as it would ever get crossing his features. "I admit I made a rash mistake that I shouldn't have made and Dean paid the price for it. Ignorance made me stupid but I did what I could to keep him safe and heal what damage I caused."

"_Fucking _him?" Sam demanded, snarling still.

"I had to drain him safely. I didn't mark him." And it was true – Castiel's bite had faded when Dean transformed back into a human. Dean turned his head, looking at Castiel over his shoulders, an unreadable expression on his face. "I didn't claim him irrevocably."

There was a long, drawn out pause where Castiel stared down the assembled wolves, the wolves who bore the blood of his Children on them, and Castiel was possibly livid with anger but he hid it well. Dean caught movement out of the corner of his eye and saw Gabriel hovering at the entrance to the foyer, the entrance that led back towards Castiel's rooms. He had blood spatter across his face but looked otherwise unharmed.

"Don't kill him," Dean finally said, breaking the silence because it looked like no one else would, and Sam looked down at him. Dean placed a hand over Sam's heart, digging in a little with his nails and hugged Sam to him tighter. "Let's just get the hell out of here," he muttered into Sam's shirt, and the Alpha werewolf relaxed very slightly, nodding. Already his wolves were beginning to disperse, responding to his psychic command, and when it was only Castiel, Sam, Dean and Gabriel, Castiel stepped forward, just a little.

"You won't ever be able to bite him," he said, eyes fixed and serious on Sam's face. "You won't be able to change him."

Sam smirked a little, petting through Dean's hair and the boy shivered slightly. It was weird, because Sam only looked about seventeen but he had been a mammoth already and almost as old as Castiel himself was. Dean looked so young and small next to Sam's towering frame. "Don't worry," the werewolf replied; "I am not as rash as you, Castiel."

The vampire's eyes narrowed, and he swallowed back his retort, nodding again before he took his leave. Sam backed away from the door with Dean following eagerly behind, though he did wince at almost every step, and Sam led him to his car (because giant werewolves running around a small town just aren't inconspicuous). He settled down happily next to his mate, sighing and playing absently with Sam's fingers as they drove.

"You did well," Sam murmured into his hair, placing a light kiss to Dean's forehead and the Incubus smiled, settling a little deeper into Sam with a sigh, eyes falling closed.

"I only did what you told me to, Sammy," he said, his cheeks coloring in embarrassed pleasure at the praise.

"I wish you hadn't fucked him," Sam replied with a sigh, thumbing at Dean's cheek, and the boy froze, fixing wide eyes up at his mate but Sam relaxed with a smile. "It's okay, Dean – you did what you had to do and allowed me to get a strike on his people and a tour of his house."

Dean smiled and joined Sam in his laughter, laying a hand over Sam's heart and leaning up for a light kiss. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, baby," Sam whispered, brushing a hand through Dean's hair. "And don't you worry – when we get home I'm going to thoroughly erase each and every one of his marks from you." Dean shivered at the dark undertone and bit his lip harshly. He couldn't wait.

* * *

It was always a race. Castiel's race was the most diverse but not the largest or most powerful. In fact, with Hunters getting better and better every day, his Children were dying out more quickly than he'd seen since the witch hunts. Sam's race was getting stronger because they were able to hide what they were for most of the month, so the killings took a lot longer to link together and the Hunters were a lot slower on the uptake. Castiel's mouth thinned out into a line and he sighed, running a hand through his hair before he turned away from the carnage that Sam and his people had wrought on his Children. He'd get his revenge for it. He closed his eyes and made his mind go blank, sending out the thoughts to all those of his Children who were Creators themselves – Gabriel, Uriel, Boris, Claudia, Tiffany, Rosa, Carlisle, everyone and anyone he could think of. They would find Dean Winchester again and creatures like him and bring him back to Castiel – who knew what the vampire could be capable of with a weapon like that at his disposal.

His eyes flared open, his message sent, and he smiled. The Hunt was on.


	2. Siren Song

**Title:** Siren Song  
**Author:** HigherMagic  
**Pairings:** Dean/Castiel, Dean/Sam (mentions of/non-graphic, non-Wincest), mentions of Castiel/Chastity and slight Gabriel/Lisa and Lisa/OMC and almost Dean/Gabriel , almost Dean/Uriel(ALMOST)  
**Rating: **NC-17  
**Word Count: **~21,000  
**Spoilers: **Well kinda Pilot and kinda S6 but it's AU.  
**Summary: **_He was alone and without close back-up and was not stupid enough to be caught next to the Alpha wolf's injured mate when their altercation half a year ago had yet to lower to a simmering point. The vampire stood swiftly, making sure he took in and rememorized Dean's scent to track him later, and took off running. Sam found Dean minutes later, the scent of a vampire on him, but Dean had fallen unconscious and was therefore not able to answer any of his questions._  
**Notes/Warnings:** Prompted by **earth_heart** , who wanted Top!Vampire!Cas and Turned-Vampire!Dean *blames him completely* Sequel to Dormant Siren and contains sex, surprise plot twists, **CHEESEY ENDING AND SOULBONDING**, and language. I think you might have to read the previous one before this one but I'm not sure. It would probably make vague sense as a stand-alone. Again, guys, this is not my best work. I mean, it's okay but the plot kind of took a weird turn that I didn't expect and my Muse is a BITCH and yeah. Either way, I hope you like this, Benny :D  
Also contains total butchering and fuckery of mythology. Enjoy *cowers and slinks away into her corner*  
Unbeta'd. All mistakes are my own.

* * *

In a small playground in a slightly larger town in the middle of nowhere (only deemed 'the middle' because all one could see was desert and grasslands in all directions and it was equidistant from the two largest neighboring cities) a boy sat curled up on himself under the non-shelter of a tortoise-shell climbing frame. He had his hands around his middle, legs bent up to his torso and forehead resting on his knees. His body was trembling and it was obvious why – he was wearing only an emerald green t-shirt and blue jeans, his feet clad in loosely laced, dark boots.

His breath was misting in his air, and when he looked up to find the moon in the sky, his exhales were frequent, creating an ever-present cloud of steam in front of him that was colored white like when light shines through dry ice.

Emerald eyes that were dark with pain found the light of the almost-full moon. It wouldn't be long until he was found and his body trembled just a little more at that thought.

To anyone else, he would like some angsty teenager or homeless man or runaway, but Gabriel could smell the blood.

Scattered around him were various energy drinks, both bottles and cans, all emptied, and candy bar wrappers that lay in shreds around the crumbling remains of the sweets they'd held. Even as the Second watched, the boy reached with shaking hands to a large bag of skittles, tearing open the bag with such unsteady hands that half of them scattered. He took in a startled, frightened breath, the sound seemingly too loud for him, and hurriedly cupped what sweets he could find, either in his lap, on the ground or still in the bag, and dumped them into a liter-sized bottle of red Gatorade. The sweets fizzed gently and the boy threw the bottle cap away, gripping the drink in both hands and tipping his head back, swallowing the concoction like he'd swallowed the Cure, not even six months ago.

He downed the entire thing, Skittles and all, some of it sloshing red down the sides of his mouth and soaking his neck and chest, making the cold get to him worse and creating a desperate parody of what he had been before. His hands were still shaking but it wasn't from the sugar high – despite evidence to the contrary, his blood sugar levels remained low and unchanged.

Dean let out a low, pained sound, grabbing at his side again and he whined, baring his teeth as he pressed against himself, just below his ribs. His fingers came back bloodied and shaking, contrasting beautifully with his moon-pale skin. Gabriel allowed himself a second to just…admire.

Six months. It had taken him six months but he'd finally found the Alpha werewolf's mate. The boy was just as pretty as he had been before, illuminated by the silver light of the moon, making him look so innocent, his eyes dark and shielded by his slightly-longer hair and the shadows of his face. His full lips were wetted with the drink and he licked them, his breath misting around him again and he was shivering, goose bumps rising on his skin as he hugged himself tighter once again, trying to conserve body heat.

He was bleeding fairly rapidly and Castiel would kill him if Gabriel let Dean die; the Second vampire approached the boy silently, but still Dean tensed, knowing he was there. "I'll admit, Dean-o, I've seen you looking better," Gabriel commented lightly and the boy shot him a defiant glare with eyes that held a silvery overcast to them.

"You," he snarled, baring his teeth as he recognized the Alpha vampire's brother.

Gabriel licked his lips lightly, remembering his own initial desire for the boy before his Alpha had snatched him up, and his gaze traveled down to Dean's blood-soaked fingers. "Had an accident?"

Dean growled a little, sounding more like an animal than he had as a vampire, and Gabriel cocked his head to one side, remembering Dean's unique…condition. Was he still ignorant? Had he ever been ignorant? "It _was _an accident," he said again, pressing his hand into his side and making a choked-off, pained sound. "I…I'm so…" He cut himself off, frustrated because he didn't know how to explain the sensations coursing through him – he was hungry. More than that, he was _ravenous, _and weak, and he felt like if he stopped eating for a second he was going to die. Shakily he pulled out another candy bar, this time a Snickers and bit into the treat, biting off way more than was necessary and chewing it quickly, the sound of his teeth grinding together the only sound between the two creatures for a moment.

More than hunger, though, Dean felt so…so _empty. _God, he felt like he had when Castiel had finally guided him to his room, laid him down and spread Dean's legs to finally feed him, to sate the fire of lust and thirst in his throat and in his blood, but he hadn't. Nothing had since Castiel had let Dean have at his neck – the boy was no longer a vampire but he was still _supernatural, _and now he'd gotten a taste of that _power._

Gabriel seemed surprised at his insistence. "What was an accident?" he asked lowly, kneeling down, keeping himself upright (though he didn't need the extra help) by holding onto one of the bars above Dean's head. The boy flinched away from the Second vampire, and then hissed when the action caused pain to flare up his side. "Come on, Dean-o, I used to be a healer in a previous life. Let me show you what they've done to you."

Wary because he had a right to be, Dean slowly peeled his hand away from his side. His shirt was in tatters around the wound and Gabriel carefully pushed it up. Dean's hands were shaking so hard when Gabriel touched him and he tried to push the vampire away, to no avail, as Gabriel held strong and resisted the push of Dean's hands. There were three deep furrows in Dean's side, starting from just under his ribcage and ending just before the jut of his hip. Gabriel's mouth twisted in dissatisfaction – _Great, _he thought, _all the organs and none of the bone._

Incubi fed off energy, and Dean was losing a great deal of blood. He probably needed it to heal and didn't even know it. Gabriel took a deep breath, and paused, swallowing back his gasp of surprise and desire. Dean smelled _divine –_ better than any blood or any scent Gabriel had ever experienced. The air thrummed with blood and pheromones, the most enticing combinations of sex and red wine and chocolate. It took the vampire almost a minute to recover from the initial shock of it. Dean's eyes were fluttering closed, his pulse slowing down as he ran out of blood to pump, and Gabriel knew he was running out of time. He pressed gently at the edges of the wound and Dean let out a low, pained sound, like an animal. His entire body was trembling and Gabriel was sure the boy was minutes away from passing out, because he didn't open his eyes and he'd given up fighting Gabriel off, just lying back and surrendering to what the vampire was about to do to him, possibly even inviting him – Dean's head was resting on his opposite shoulder, baring his moon-pale, unmarked neck to Gabriel and the vampire licked his lips, his mouth starting to water as he leaned forward, immersed in that scent and not giving a damn for just _what _exactly he was considering doing – the punishment he would undoubtedly suffer. His lips were mere millimeters from Dean's slow pulse when -

- a howl rang out around them and Gabriel froze. He was alone and without close back-up and was _not _stupid enough to be caught next to the Alpha wolf's injured mate when their altercation half a year ago had yet to lower to a simmering point. The vampire stood swiftly, making sure he took in and rememorized Dean's scent to track him later, and took off running. Sam found Dean minutes later, the scent of a vampire on him, but Dean had fallen unconscious and was therefore not able to answer any of his questions.

* * *

"The air almost choked me with his pheromones. He smelled like a Goddamn female in heat." Gabriel flinched just remembering, able to almost taste Dean's blood on his tongue and he swallowed, guilt and horror washing through him as he reminded himself that this was his _brother's _kill, not his own, and Gabriel had no claim to it. "It was like he was calling me forward, Alpha," he whispered, eyes closed in shame, head bowed because he couldn't help confess that almost-trespass.

Castiel stopped in the middle of his circuit of the room, pausing in his pacing to look at his brother. Gabriel's heart had started to slowly beat out of anxiety and the Alpha stalked forward, cupping Gabriel's cheeks with his hands and tilting his brother's face up. He placed a light kiss of benediction to Gabriel's forehead.

"Relax, Gabriel, my beloved brother," he murmured gently, a small smile on his face when he stepped away, "I would never have thought less of you for being unable to resist his call. Creatures such as Dean live off of energies that things like _us _can give them – he was probably _trying _to lure you, to be fed, if what you are telling me is accurate."

"It is accurate," Gabriel insisted, taking a step forward. "He had been clawed. He had been trying to save himself with sugary things humans eat and many energy drinks but I don't think they were helping him. He needed…more."

Castiel smiled slowly at the implications of that, turning so he could look over his shoulder at his brother, hands clasped behind his back. "I heard that Uriel had managed to capture another of these creatures…these…Incubi." He waved a hand vaguely in the air. "How close is he?"

"Last I heard he was three hours away from us," Gabriel replied softly, smiling a little in anticipation of seeing another of these things up close, of being able to study them and learn them again – Gabriel was, at heart, a scientist. "That was three hours ago. We don't have long to wait."

* * *

"Sam…_Sammy."_ Dean bent over himself, clutching a hand to his stomach. God, this _hurt,_ hurt so much. He needed…God, he needed…He choked on his inhale, his lungs too weak to expand, to take in the air he desperately needed, and he clawed at the strong arms wrapping around him, desperate for something – _anything_. He was so empty, so _hungry_, so _needy_. God, he _wanted_. Strong, warm arms wrapped around him and he inhaled greedily at a racing pulse, needing…_God,_ needing so badly…This person…Sam, it smelled like Sam…was so _warm_ and he smelled so _good, _like oil and sweat and forests and an animal, and Dean _wanted_. He wanted so much that it terrified him, made him shake with something other than pain and weakness. "It…it _hurts_."

"What's happening to him?" Sam's voice reached Dean's pain-fogged mind, obviously panicked. And God, if Sam was panicking then Dean should be downright terrified. The boy whimpered as another wave of crushing _hunger _washed over him and his hand shot out, found the soft muscle of a shoulder and dug in, hard enough to draw blood.

Another voice reached him, this one with dark undertones and a rough growl on the tail-end, and Dean whined in desperate need, his body clenching around the emptiness inside him. Briefly, for one terrifying, insane moment, he wished for Castiel's cold hands on him, for the vampire to be with him instead of these ignorant people, because Castiel had made it better. Those first two times, he'd made Dean feel _satisfied._

He crushed those traitorous thoughts before they could show on his face.

"He's weak. He needs to feed."

"Jo and Ellen said they found him surrounded by food, Bobby. It didn't _work_."

_Bobby_. Bobby would feel good. He was big and full of energy for an old guy. Dean licked his lips, new and terrifying urges rising up in him and he curled in on himself more, whimpering when he tried to fight these thoughts away, disgusted with the idea of jumping on _Bobby, _of all people. He felt nauseous.

"I don't mean _that _type of feeding, boy!" Bobby barked with a harsh kind of bite to it, and it made Dean flinch within the circle of Sam's arms. He cowered away, his hand digging more harshly into Sam's shoulder, shedding blood. Dean's nostrils flared at the scent of it. His eyes shone silver.

"Sam…" he ground out, clenching his jaw, trying to fight back this urge because it was _unnatural, _damn it. He shouldn't _crave _Sam's blood…Sam's _blood…_God, it smelled divine…Unable to help himself, Dean pressed his nose into the hollow of Sam's throat, able to catch just a lick from a trail of blood running down Sam's chest, and groaned brokenly into his mate's skin. "_Sam, _God, what are you doing to me?" he asked in a small, pained voice, hating how he repeated those words, remembering Castiel's own, what the vampire had said to him;

_"I've recently learned that feeding you the conventional way is dangerous unless I wear you out first…You feed off energy, Dean… I've been inadvertently exacerbating your condition. It's no longer safe for you or any of us to exist as you are now… be killed for this energy. You're shining like a beacon with it…Not to sound cliché but your life kind of depends on it."_

Fire flared up his throat at the first drop of Sam's blood and he groaned brokenly, rubbing his throat with his free hand, trying to seek sanctuary in his mate's arms as he had before, but it wasn't enough…wasn't nearly enough…

"I don't understand," Sam growled, exasperated, and God _why isn't he helping me? _Dean thought, drawing in a shaky breath and exhaling against Sam's skin, leaving dampness behind. "I've fed from him before and he's been fine."

…_He _knows?

Dean drew in another short, sharp breath, his dark silvery-green eyes widening as his tortured brain began to catch up with what was being exchanged by the two wolves above him.

_"He would never hurt me."_

_"That's a very naïve thing to think."_

Castiel's voice was soft, mocking, and Dean hadn't paid attention. But…but it had been an accident! Sam had _never _harmed him before. Never caused him pain…he was perfect, he was…

"Dean's always been in your bed when you've fed from him, Sam," Sam's Beta snapped at him, clearly assuming Dean either couldn't hear them or wasn't paying attention. "He's managed to heal before he could be hurt, but you had to go and try him awake. He almost bled out in that damned park and you expect him to just be _fine?_"

…He was a liar.

Dean tried to straighten himself up, but Sam's arms were caging him. He was growing weaker by the second, the stitches holding his wound closed doing nothing to replace the energy he'd lost. He felt his eyes drooping, his body going into a frenzy of need before it finally just gave up. Dean had just enough time to think that _Sam _was doing this to him, before unconsciousness took him over and he collapsed into Sam's arms.

* * *

Sam's phone – a trite little piece of machinery that he'd only ever gotten because he had figured he needed to keep in touch with the children that were on other continents _somehow_ – started ringing not even half an hour later. He checked Caller ID and snarled into the phone. "You better have a fucking good reason for calling me, Castiel."

"I'm surprised you even have me as a contact," the vampire replied smoothly, grinning though Sam couldn't see him, but the werewolf could _hear _the smug bastard's glee. "You should be nicer to me, boy; otherwise I might just see fit to wipe you and your immediate family out completely."

Sam snarled at the threat, empty though it was – Castiel's numbers weren't nearly enough to wipe him out or pose a significant threat to his three-hundred-strong pack. Sam's raid six months ago had seen to that.

"Why don't you just tell me what you want, mosquito," he growled, snorting the term derisively – to him, Castiel was a fly, a bug, something easily crushed but sometimes so damn fast that you couldn't kill it – you could only put out bug spray and nets and try to keep him at bay for a while or hope your traps killed him off.

Castiel chuckled on the other end of the phone. "You shouldn't be so mean to me," he repeated, then there was a pause, broken only by the sound of a scream, marred by static because of the volume and Sam winced as it hurt his sensitive ears. "I'm just calling to check on how my pretty boy is doing," the vampire drawled lowly into the phone.

Sam immediately stiffened, on the defensive. "He's fine," he said tightly.

"Oh Sam," Castiel laughed, "you're going to have to be a _much _better liar than that to fool me, even when I'm not there to smell you or read your body." The vampire 'hmm'ed a little bit, and Sam swore the only reason he didn't hang up right then was because Castiel, though arrogant and dirtier than the world's most famous con-man, didn't do things for no reason. He was calling because he felt he had to. "I'm calling because my Second recently saw your _mate_," he spat the word, "in pretty bad condition. Honestly, if you're not going to treat a prime specimen like that well then maybe I should take him off your hands."

"Fuck you," Sam snarled, and cursed himself for not replying with a more elegant retort.

Castiel chuckled, the arrogant bastard. "Sam, Sam, Sam, I thought you _knew what you were doing._" His voice turned scathing, hateful, and Sam paused for a moment, taken aback by how much Castiel seemed…_insulted _with his supposed neglect of Dean. "Have you even fed him properly? I'm guessing not because animals like you can't stop themselves biting when they're fucking, can they?" Castiel's tone was positively venomous now, and Sam could easily conjure a picture of the agitated Alpha vampire, growling his words into a phone. "No wonder he was bleeding out – you're too arrogant and scared to feed him yourself or even risk it!"

"I thought you said I could never bite him," Sam replied after a moment, more coolly than he felt because, he wouldn't deny it, though Castiel's race as a whole wasn't the most dominant, Castiel himself was _much _more powerful than Sam. One-on-one, the werewolf was cowed and the arrogant vampire knew it.

"I said _nothing _about biting him, _nothing,_" Castiel replied into the phone, sounding breathless, before his voice tensed up again, his tone lowering almost a full octave; "I know _exactly _what game you're trying to play and it's not going to work with me, you self-righteous pup. You have no fucking right to treat him like this – to just use him for your own selfish pleasures and gains."

"How _dare _you," Sam snapped in reply, hands clenching into fists and he started walking, he didn't know where he was going but somehow he managed to find himself outside the door to Dean's room, the room where he knew his mate lay inside, unconscious, unresponsive but still alive. Just barely. From there Sam could hear his heartbeat and it was so _slow_. "How _dare _you, you _parasite_, try and tell me how to care for my mate. You may have _had _him but he was _mine _from the get-go. I've _been_ feeding him -."

"Not enough," Castiel whispered, soft enough that Sam paused at the sudden change, from angry to pained. "Not enough, or he wouldn't have been so desperate for me in the first place. He wouldn't have been lapping at your blood like a kitten at milk."

Sam froze. "How did you know about that?" he asked in a low voice. He could still feel Dean's tongue on his chest, how the boy had moaned like a two-dollar whore when his tongue and lips came into contact with the lifeblood, and Sam remembered his own revulsion at it, at knowing his mate was stooping so low enough to need _blood _like some fucking _vampire._

"Once a vampire, the craving will never really go away," Castiel replied, sounding almost…_sad_. "I've been doing more research since the time you took Dean away and killed my kin – been finding things like him, learning them and things about them. Been experimenting. I know what he needs and if you're not too proud, I'm willing to help him." The sound of swallowing and then another scream, followed by a hiss, and Sam had to wonder if this was evidence of those 'experiments', and just what exactly they entailed. "If you want your mate to live, since you're obviously not willing to do what has to be done, then you'll bring him to me."

"Why do you care so much?" Sam demanded, unnerved by the vampire's words. They were meant to be _enemies._ Castiel and Sam _hated _each other with a burning passion.

The vampire growled, exasperated and finally seemingly back to his old self. "Because 'mates' _means_ something where I come from," he snapped, and then all Sam could hear was the dial tone. The werewolf growled into the phone just because he could, and then snapped it closed and slipped it into the pockets of his jeans, and pushed open the door to Dean's room. For a split second, while his eyes adjusted, everything was silent and Sam had a terrifying thought that Dean had just died while Sam was busy arguing for his pride. Then, his eyes adjusted, and he took in the rumpled sheets, the open window, and the empty bed.

* * *

Howls went up around him and Dean flinched to one side, breathing heavily as he braced himself against the thick trunk of a towering oak. Thank God Sam had chosen his fortress to be in a forest – there were a lot of confusing scents and tracks here but Dean knew them all. On top of that, his own scent was _everywhere_, and it would be hard for the wolves chasing him to find the freshest one out of so many confusing overlays. Everything looked…_weird_. So…_vivid. _Dean couldn't blink the weird effect out of his eyes and he'd never been this…well, far-gone before. Some instinct was just driving him forward but the rest of his body was in a bit of debate about that. His heart felt like it was thundering, ricocheting inside his chest so hard he had to think it was deafening and easy to follow, but really his heartbeat was soft, almost non-existent, so much so that he shouldn't even be on his feet, but for some reason he was.

When he felt strong enough to lurch over to the next tree he did, stumbling as the wolves' howls got closer. He could feel his breath coming harder, sweat running down the side of his face as desperate panic began to set in.

He _had _to get out of here.

Sam had _lied_.

Sam _knew _what was wrong with him – had known for a while – but he'd never _told _Dean or tried to _help _him, and that…that made him a liar. Dean didn't know where he was going but his instincts were calling him forward, pulling him towards _something _or _someone._ He didn't know but he didn't care because any direction away from the wolves was a good one – just towards somewhere he could get _help_. He leant his forehead against the cold, rough bark, squeezing his eyes tightly shut to try and get rid of the weird effect because it was _fucking up_ his movement but he couldn't – everything looked bathed in red. The trees were warm but the air was purple – cold. Infra-red vision? He could see tiny animals scurrying in the undergrowth and with a snarl he lunged forward, falling onto his hands and knees and he grabbed at…grabbed at a vole. A vole that had life and blood and he felt feral, tearing the thing apart with his bare hands, hearing its soft final squeak of pain and fear until it was silenced, and he held the shredded thing to his mouth, pushing up onto his knees and he drank, lapped up the blood eagerly, without a care for how it ran down his arms in thin rivulets and spread out from either side of his mouth as he tried to take in too much too fast – he didn't care; the animal blood would help cover his own scent.

With every lick of blood he felt himself get a little stronger, and he whimpered at the sour taste of the vole's blood but it was _working_. Dear God, it was _working_. Dean felt like he could cry in relief. He used his extra temporary strength to haul himself to his hands and knees, then his feet. His legs were a little unsteady but they were strong enough to get him to the next tree, and his bloodied nails dug into the bark as he tried to steady himself, causing splinters to rip at his fingertips and he snarled in pain, the pinpricks of hurt mixing with his background _ache_, sharpening his mind and his vision for just a moment. He stumbled on with a single-minded purpose, his only goal to get _away_.

* * *

_Minutes Earlier…_

Castiel licked his lips, eyeing up the three Incubi that Uriel had managed to catch. They were all a family, bless them – one was a female, and he'd looked up the term. A succubus. But all of them were very much aware of what they were. It had, granted, made the interrogation a lot easier, but Castiel found he didn't much like the way they lorded their own knowledge over him. He found he didn't quite like Incubi who knew exactly what they were.

He approached the father, his lips twisted into a small grimace of distaste at the creature's state – he'd seen better days. At the beginning of this he'd been ruggedly handsome, if a little older than Castiel's tastes extended to (though really, who was he to talk), but now he just looked like a beaten, broken mess. He was also unconscious, as it had seemed that as long as he was still fighting, the other two were defiant as well. The mother looked marginally better – thirst and lust had made her desperate; she was gasping and bucking her hips in invitation, because apparently when the creatures were hungry, they got very horny. Castiel had filed _that _little piece of information away and put it into the situation with Dean. It had made sense.

"What exactly can you all feed off of?" he asked, but turned his attention to the son, the youngest one who could only be eight years old, with wide green-blue eyes and black hair to match his mother. He really was quite a pretty child. He was also Castiel's favorite because he was the most cooperative. His normally pretty eyes had become even more beautiful, taking on a silver sheen as time went on and hunger set in. Castiel remembered the silver hue of Dean's eyes and smiled at the memory. He approached the boy who whimpered, swallowing and staring at the Alpha vampire with frightened, dark eyes, his fists clenched but his legs spreading just a little.

Castiel didn't consider the offer, because he was many things, but a rapist (and a pedophile in the strictest sense) wasn't one of them. Still, that didn't mean he couldn't use a little of his vast persuasion skills to make the boy talk easier. He put on his most disarming, most predatory smile and stroked a hand down the boy's chest, delighting in the creature's broken whimper, then reached up to trace the side of his face.

"Come on, little one," he purred, leaning down just a little so the boy could get a good inhale of his scent, and he watched as the black became more dominant in his iris behind his silver eyes. "Just tell me and I promise, I'll let you and your parents go."

"Ben, don't say a thing," the woman cried out, but was silenced with a whimper when Gabriel stepped forward, taking his place between the woman's spread legs, rubbing her gently through her tight-fitting jeans and she whimpered, tears slipping out from the corners of her pretty jade-brown eyes. They were a little like Dean's and Castiel shoved that thought away. She shuddered as Gabriel pleasured her without a word, only his hands managing to make her shoot over that edge of pleasure, draining her slowly and weakening her by the orgasm.

It really was fascinating to Castiel.

He turned his attention back to the boy, taking his chin in his hand. "Look at your father," he whispered, turning the boy's head and looking with him to the anonymous, unconscious man who had blood dripping down one side of his face. "Look at your mother," he continued, the Serpent whispering temptation into an innocent's ear as 'Ben' turned tear-bright eyes to his sobbing mother. "And look at me." Castiel turned Ben's head, making their eyes meet and hold. "Tell me exactly what I want to know and you will all go free. You will see neither me nor a Child of mine for the rest of your lives. Now – what do you feed from?"

Ben swallowed, and Castiel could see it in his eyes when the boy broke. "Food, blood…s…sex." He choked off, whimpering. "Anything that gives life. Anything that sustains or makes it. We'd eat the sun if it didn't burn."

Castiel chuckled at that, finding it funny, and let the boy go and gestured for Gabriel to leave the tortured female alone. "Put them in one of the cages and let them have each other. Give the boy some blood so they don't die of malnourishment, and in a few hours, release them," he said, not missing the look of desperate gratitude in the boy's eyes nor how his mother shook and sobbed with relief. Castiel smiled to himself and fished out his cell phone to call the Alpha wolf, because really this kind of information (and having it) was something that he had to gloat over.

Another thing Castiel is (in certain circumstances), is a hypocrite.

* * *

"Alpha."

"Yes? What is it?"

A relieved, tired sigh. A job well done. "We've found him. We found Dean."

"And? Where is he?" Desperate, running faster, knowing they had little time.

"He's…shit, Alpha; he's not in good shape."

* * *

Dean flinched away when hands landed on him, growling, unable to see because of the silver sheen in his eyes, blinding him and only letting him see red and purple, and he clawed at his attackers. He was weak, but he would _not _be taken like this, taken advantage of in his desperate, needy condition. It could have been anything – wolf, well-meaning onlooker, a fucking _rapist_ and he didn't care – he kicked as though it was something out for his blood because by his reasoning everything seemed to be anyway.

"Shit!" The hands went away, just for a moment, and Dean let himself relax. It was a stupid, crucial mistake. But he was tired – he'd ripped apart several more small animals and blood coated his skin. His hands were torn by the trunks of trees and stray bracken when he'd fallen over and ripped his hands open. Blood ran down his arms, staining his skin in a beautiful spectrum of red, gold and silver from the light of the moon that was now just beginning its descent towards the horizon. Dean whimpered when hands and arms stronger than he was wrapped around him, but he didn't stop kicking because he _couldn't_. He wouldn't go down without a fight, God damn it.

"Get the fuck away from me!" _before I hurt you_, his mind finished for him as his hand shot out, finding someone's arm, and he snarled, hearing the blood rushing through their veins, their slow, steady pulse –

Slow?

The scent of blood was overwhelming, both of his and of his attackers and he snarled, pulling on the arm, because he _needed _to be stronger and he could only do that by _feeding_. The call of blood was strong and Dean could feel his mouth go dry, his throat burning. He _needed_ and he _would_ damn it – nothing could stop him because his desperation and the promise of blood was just making him strong. In the back of his mind, he was horrifically aware of how much of an _animal_ he was acting like, but the dominant part of his thoughts just…didn't care.

"Don't let him bite you!" Hands were at his head, then, trying to get him away from the arm that he held tightly in his grip, refusing to let go. "Dean, Dean we're going to help you – you just have to calm down and be patient! Dean!"

_You didn't say 'please', _the boy thought, almost delirious with lust and desire and carnal _want_. He snarled when he was pulled away from his prize, held from behind, and he threw his head back, a low growl sounding in his throat at the feeling of a hard, strong body behind him, because _fuck yes,_ he could get behind this. He made a low, desperate sound, swallowing around the excess saliva in his mouth and he threw his head to one side, trying to find warmth, flesh, _blood_, _anything_.

He ground his hips back against the nameless creature, delighting to find that it was very much male. He made a pleased little sound, his eyes fluttering closed as he bent forward, trying to put as much force behind the motion but the man snarled in his ear and kept him upright. The sound of heartbeats was beginning to fade away.

Dean's eyes flared open again and he tried to see past the weird infra-red haze, tried to make out a face, _something _so that he could see the face of whoever was attacking him. He managed to blink it away long enough to see slicked honey hair and a grim smile before pain exploded down the side of his face and he collapsed, limp, in Uriel's arms.

* * *

When Dean came to, he was only aware of sensation. Warmth, encased in a downy cocoon of satiny soft sheets, his body shifted and the bed sheets moved in a gentle slide against his skin, feeling like the gentlest caress. He moaned despite himself, too exhausted to do anything but move very slightly, rolling a little more onto his side. He felt cold and tried to wrap the sheets and his arms around himself, but his hands only jerked feebly and then didn't move. He felt the soft pressure of restraints at his wrists and panicked a little more, but he just didn't have the energy – he couldn't move. The air brushed against his skin and he shivered, goose bumps rising when he realized he was naked, handcuffed to what he could only assume was either a bed or the comfiest cell he'd ever been in.

He moaned again, louder this time, as pain flared up the side of his face and through his arms and down his side, and he remembered being hit. He didn't remember anything after that until he woke up. His eyelids fluttered but he didn't have the energy to open them. His side _hurt_ and he was afraid, so _hungry _still. His moan turned into a desperate whine.

And then, suddenly, relief.

There was a gentle, warm pressure at his mouth. He parted his lips willingly because there wasn't really any way he could have resisted it, and something was pressed against his mouth, but it was too big to fit in – too wide. His tongue flicked out curiously and he tasted skin, and sweat, and a pulse. _Blood_. God, _yes,_ finally. He moaned, sucking at the skin, his lips dragging lazily across whatever part of the body was under his mouth – he was guessing a neck only because of the shape of it and the way the scent of blood was so potent – with no finesse, like a teenager learning how to kiss. Hands – gentle, soothing, warm hands – stroked through his hair, cradling his head and holding him upright so that he could easily lose himself in the scent and sound of this foreigner's pulse. It was no effort for his lips to curl back and his teeth to sink easily into the creature's flesh. Skin parted so effortlessly under his teeth, as though the body was graciously welcoming him in, and Dean almost sobbed in relief when he tasted the first dregs of blood on his tongue. He surged up, wishing to cling tighter but his hands wouldn't move, still, and he sank his teeth more firmly into the creature's neck. Above him, a body shuddered and lay down, resting on his with a gentle weight and Dean spread his legs, wanting contact everywhere he could get it, moaning when the stranger willingly fell between them, rocking their hips together. Dean's body tensed up eagerly, in anticipation, because this creature seemed to know what it was doing, to know what he needed, and Dean would give _anything _for the creature to keep feeding him.

The blood tasted of mint and chocolate. He knew that taste from somewhere.

His lips formed a tight seal around the bite, unwilling to let any escape, and he drank down as fast as he dared without choking himself. His body was warm with the fresh blood and his throat and stomach felt heavy, sated in the amount he was taking, the smooth, steady heartbeat of the creature above him pumping blood into Dean's mouth at the perfect rate. He wished he could touch the stranger, wished he could feel his body (again, Dean knew it was male because he was getting very strong evidence for it) and touch his face, hold his hair and jerk his head to one side and make him bare more of his throat for Dean, make him feed Dean even more and sate him. Dean's hips rolled just thinking about it, though he wasn't getting hard because his body wasn't sparing the energy to do so. No, instead, he rolled his hips in invitation, willing the creature to fuck him and feed him another way.

Dean almost purred when he heard the creature's shaky inhale and a hand stroking down his uninjured flank. The touch was light and tickled slightly and Dean shied away from the touch of it, ruining his meal with a slight, shaky laugh. Blood trickled down his chin and he pulled away, lapping at the small amount pooling the dip of a pale throat. He forced his eyes to open, looking up through hazy silver-green eyes to see…

_God._

"Cas," he choked, looking up with wide eyes into dark blue-black eyes. The vampire was staring down at him with flushed cheeks, eyes bright and dark at the same time and Dean gasped again, licking at his lips instinctively as his vision faded away so that he could see properly again. Then, his gaze tracked to the vampire's neck again and he swallowed, letting out a horrified shaky exhale. "No, not again…"

"It's alright, Dean," Castiel purred gently, stroking a hand through Dean's soft hair. The boy whimpered and leaned into the touch, unable to help himself. With blood lining his lips and running down his chin and neck, staining his beautifully golden skin, he looked stunning. Castiel couldn't imagine having not been with him for six months – the time just seemed to melt away. Dean looked no different. "I don't think my blood will change you this time."

Dean frowned in confusion, lips already parting in a question that Castiel didn't let him ask, because the Alpha vampire's lips were on his again and Dean opened up with sweet surrender, his body starting to respond as his blood began to sing with energy. He felt warm, his heart jumping into a gallop in his chest. He pulled his hands, expecting them to move, but the restraints held firm. He whined pitifully, breaking the kiss and looking up to see his wrists manacled to the slats of Castiel's headboard. He made a curious sound, tugging on them again. There was blood running down his wrists, gathered and crusting around the bright metal. "What…?"

"Your hands were badly damaged," Castiel murmured, gently tracing his hands up Dean's arms, making the boy shiver and his eyes flutter to half mast for a second, before the vampire's hands were at the cuffs, undoing them and rubbing at Dean's sore wrists. "I didn't want you to hurt them inadvertently before you could feed." He turned Dean's hands over in his own, kneeling up between Dean's legs and the Incubus blushed when he began to realize just where Castiel was, but he found that other than initial embarrassment, he didn't seem to mind, because it was _Castiel, _who had helped him. Saved him. "You seem to be healing them though." Blue eyes flashed to beautiful green. "We will have to feed you again soon."

Dean bit his lip, and he knew he was blushing harder, but that didn't stop him rolling his hips again, arching his back and wiggling so that he was just a little more in Castiel's lap. "Why wait?" he asked shyly, the blood in his mouth settling, sweet and sticky, and coating the back of his throat, soothing the fire. He swallowed back the molasses feeling, his body tense and shaking but still so temptingly spread out for Castiel, who licked his lips, his eyes darkening further as he took in the gorgeous stretch of Dean's body. The boy hadn't changed except for the three dark lines stitched into his side. Castiel frowned just a little, his eyes clouding with anger as he spread his palm over the dark, offending wounds.

"You were very badly wounded, Dean," he murmured softly, meeting the boy's guilty but needy eyes. "Why didn't you get help?"

"Can we not talk about this?" Dean asked, desperate but resigned like he knew Castiel wouldn't let him get away that easily. He tried to sit up, bracing himself on his hands and then hissed when pain lanced up his wrists and fingers, falling back onto the bed. He held his hands up in front of him, making them shake, and his fingers were curled in and he couldn't stretch them out all the way. His fingers were criss-crossed with tiny cuts and scars, already scabbing over for the most part. Dean could suddenly see where the blood was coming from, and his wrists were rubbed raw from the handcuffs. He swallowed, remembering how he'd managed to get the wounds, how he'd torn his hands apart, clawing at trees for balance and falling on sharp bracken and tearing into animals to drain them dry. He bit his lower lip and Castiel's breath hitched just a little.

The vampire couldn't help it – there was just a combination of Dean and _blood _that got to him. Perhaps it was just that the boy was what he was – Dean was designed and evolved to appeal to the creature he was trying to seduce. It was definitely working.

Then, Dean suddenly winced, rubbing at his throat again. His stitches stood out starkly, black thread against pale, un-tanned skin. Castiel swallowed and leaned down, brushing his nose along Dean's. The boy's breath was getting harder, his lips parted and he panted against Castiel's open lips, lust-silver meeting lust-black, half-lidded, needy eyes meeting blue fire.

"Are you thirsty again, baby?" Castiel whispered, his voice lowering at least an octave more than it usually did and Dean _whined_, arching his body up to run along Castiel's, his recently-freed hands grabbing onto the vampire's lithe, strong body. Castiel smiled and rocked his hips against Dean's, the vampire's hard cock riding the line of where thigh met hip, deliberately missing Dean's own stirring need. "Want me to feed you some more?"

"Please," Dean begged, running a hand through Castiel's hair and knotting his fingers through the thick dark locks, tugging just slightly. "Please, _Cas_, so hungry…" He whispered the needy, desperate words, lifting his head to brush his lips against Castiel's and brand the pleas into the rough, stubble-lined jaw of his Alpha vampire's. "Need you so bad, please…"

"It's okay, baby," Castiel replied, brushing a hand down the side of Dean's face and he smiled, drawing the boy up to a sweet, lazy kiss that promised so much more. Castiel's hand cradled Dean's head gently, holding them together as the vampire suckled on Dean's lower lip, drawing the flush, full thing into his mouth and biting down to make it even redder, drawing blood to the surface in a little masochistic tease. "Don't I always take care of you?"

_You do, _Dean thought in a broken whine, feeling tears of desperation building up behind his eyes and he closed his eyes to try and hide them, wanting Castiel inside him as in _yesterday_. _Dear God, you do. Cas, _please…He didn't say any of it but the Alpha vampire seemed to be able to taste his anxiety, feel how his body trembled against Castiel's hold and the vampire shifted slightly, able to taste blood in his boy's mouth, and he pressed a finger against Dean's hole, not pushing inside, not yet. Dean whined, his hips rolling again, trying to fuck himself onto Castiel's finger, to no avail.

"Please, Cas, please, don't tease me," Dean whined, breaking the kiss to stare up at Castiel with liquid green eyes. "Please don't tease me," he repeated, barely able to get the words out – there wasn't enough air in his tight lungs.

"Has he fucked you, Dean?" Castiel asked, pinning Dean with his gaze (as if the Incubus had any desire to go anywhere else) as he circled Dean's hole, just pressing in, getting a little thrill at how, despite how tight Dean was, he was still trying to relax and let him in, inviting Castiel with a tilt of his hips and a shifting of his legs, letting them lay wider across Castiel's thighs and out, laid open and bare and all Castiel's, his for the taking. The boy whined at the question, his eyes widening. "Answer me," Castiel demanded, his hand at the back of Dean's head tightening just a little, fisting the boy's hair which had grown slightly longer – it was the perfect length to just grab and yank on. Dean purred at the rough handling, his exhales shaky against Castiel's parted, blood- and saliva-slicked lips, his thighs tense and his body shaking. "Has he fucked you?" Castiel repeated, getting impatient now.

Dean swallowed and shook his head, laying gentle, warm hands on Castiel's shoulders. "No," he whispered. "Never like…not like you did."

Castiel frowned. "What does that mean?"

How Dean could still blush after everything, Castiel would never know, but he wasn't going to complain about the innocent rosy stain or the way Dean bit down on his swollen lip, eyelids fluttering for a moment at the sensation when Castiel shifted, unable to stop himself from thrusting once against Dean because the boy just looked too fucking delicious for his own good.

"I mean…not like…fully. He'd suck me off and let me suck him off and we've…well, he's touched, but he wanted to wait until he'd bitten me," Dean gasped out, frowning a little at the remembrance of it because when he thought about it, all he could feel was fire burning in his throat – an insatiable need to be _full _that Sam would refuse to satisfy, and not through Dean's lack of trying or willingness. No, the wolf just refused to fuck him. Said he was too fragile or something stupid like that.

The vampire 'hmm'ed, then Dean felt two fingers pressing against his bottom lip, and he opened his mouth with a moan, letting Castiel's fingers slide in, because _fuck yes, _he could get on board with this. He thoroughly sucked Castiel's fingers, trying to get them as wet as possible, sliding his tongue easily between the two of them and licking at every surface. What he couldn't swallow back trickled out the sides of his mouth and Castiel leaned down to lick the slick away.

"You're a good boy, Dean," Castiel purred, pulling his fingers out and Dean's head tried to follow, his shoulders rising to make himself sit up but, as he was, he had no leverage, and Castiel's weight over his torso held him down. "I know you're a good boy." Dean whimpered when Castiel's first finger breached him with no hesitance, sliding all the way in with one smooth thrust. Dean clenched his eyes shut, biting back his sounds as Castiel bit and licked at his neck, and Dean leaned his head back, giving Castiel all the room he wanted. On Dean's skin Castiel could taste the animal blood and the dirt and the sweat, could smell the Alpha werewolf on him and covered every mark of scent with his own, claiming Dean like he should have done before. Sam obviously wasn't interested enough. "And good boys get rewards." He added a second finger easily; Dean's body stretching to accommodate him because the boy was so _eager _it was unbelievable. He must be starving.

Dean bucked his hips desperately, fucking himself down onto Castiel's fingers, needing them deeper because _oh, fuck_. It felt even better than the last time. His hands shook with need, burying themselves in Castiel's hair, trying to invite the vampire to drink from him, or pull him away so _Dean_ could drink, or _something_. He wasn't even in control – he gave over to his body's instincts because they obviously knew what the fuck he was meant to be doing. Dean was still soft, his hungers making him too miserly with his energy so he wouldn't even get hard until he was well fed again. Still, that didn't mean he wasn't feeling his lust, feeling his own desire for this powerful creature to take him and claim him and dominate him.

"Cas, _please_, please fuck me, oh God please fuck me – I feel so…so _hungry, _Castiel, please…" Dean babbled desperately, saying anything and everything that he could think of to say to try and hurry things along, because the infra-red sheen was descending again and that meant he was getting weaker and he was terrified of that. "Please, God, don't need more prep. Need _you_, Cas, God, fuck me open. Please, need to feel you! _Please, _Alpha!"

The nickname, Dean would think later, was probably what did it for Castiel. What made him snarl against Dean's throat (but pull himself back before he could bite) and draw his fingers away. Dean let out a needy little whimper, clenching desperately around something that wasn't there anymore. It was what made Castiel sit up and slick up his cock with his own still-leaking blood, and Dean cried out when Castiel took a hold of his hips and started to breach him. It was too tight, _so fucking tight_, but Castiel figured he wasn't meant to last long the first time. This was about feeding Dean. That was why he was choosing blood – he wasn't sure how it worked but somehow Dean must be able to absorb his food as well as eat it in the conventional way, so the blood was like a little energy reserve until Castiel could give him the big meal.

Well, in hindsight he thought this. In the moment it was just the closest thing he had and he needed to be fucking _his _boy as in last week.

He plastered himself over Dean's body, breathing into his hair as he fucked into Dean, slowly until he bottomed out. _Fuck _but Dean was tight, and warm – burning hot. His heartbeat was thundering in his chest and Castiel could hear his pulse racing as Dean groaned brokenly, tears of relief shining in his eyes. He could hear Dean still muttering nonsense into his ear, but amidst it he heard 'Yes' and 'Cas' and 'Thank you'. Dean was _thanking _him for this and it made Castiel, well, a little angry, to know that the boy had been so desperate for food that he…The Alpha wolf had a lot to answer for, that was for sure.

First thing came first, though; Dean. Dean's needs. Castiel didn't wait for Dean to tell him to start moving because he figured anything he gave the boy would be welcome. He moved a little bit, tilting his head to one side and baring his neck for Dean's questing mouth and he sighed, closing his eyes when he felt Dean's teeth reopen the wound, sucking down Castiel's blood like his single goal in life was to drain Castiel dry. Though Dean could never take too much (not in _that _sense, anyway) the idea that he _might _sent a little shiver through Castiel and the Alpha started up a hard pace inside of his boy. Already he could feel his release building and he didn't try to fight it – Dean seemed to be getting stronger; his breath was slowing down from the near-hyperventilation it had been; his heartbeat, though still fast, was less erratic than before; his eyes were no longer silver; his noises not quite as desperate. And underneath Castiel, Dean body began to respond, having the energy to reciprocate now. Castiel knew he wouldn't last long enough to bring Dean pleasure as well and so he slowed down, backing off from that sprint towards the finish line, breathing hard against Dean's neck.

Dean didn't seem to like that – he mewled desperately, digging a hand into Castiel's ass and pulling him into Dean, wrapping his legs around the vampire's waist so Castiel couldn't pull away. The vampire's cock brushed against a spot inside of Dean that made the Incubus' nerves flare up like a fucking firework.

"Don't stop," Dean begged, "please, please don't stop. Fuck me, Cas, ride me. Come on – need to feel you inside me, filling me up and marking me. Need you…_so hungry_, Cas, please…"

And who was Castiel to deny that when he asked so prettily? Castiel pet a hand through Dean's hair, over his ear and down the side of his face, placing a light, affectionate nip to the sensitive skin just under his ear, and began to thrust harder now, in earnest. Dean was back to thanking him, his channel tightening deliciously around Castiel's cock, and the vampire couldn't last any longer than that. He thrust into Dean as far as he could get, rasped 'Such a good boy' into Dean's ear, and came, filling Dean up just like the boy was begging him to so nicely.

They were frozen like that for a long moment, suspended, breathless, and then Dean 'hmm'ed in a satisfied way, shifting a little, and his hard cock brushed against Castiel's belly and his ass clenched tightly around Castiel's oversensitive dick. The vampire hissed, pulling out just slightly but Dean wrapped his legs around his waist tightly, smiling a little in contented way up at the Alpha, brushing a hand through his soft hair, and 'hmm'ed again. His chin shone with fresh, wet blood, and when he smiled it was around the edges of his teeth. Castiel felt an irrational urge to lick him clean. He didn't deny it, nuzzling into Dean's mouth like an affectionate puppy and licking around the edges of Dean's gums, over the roof of his mouth, delighting when Dean shivered a little.

"Feel so good, Cas," the boy murmured, rolling his hips again and Castiel whined, grabbing at Dean's ass to try and stop the incessant, glorious clenching of Dean's tight, wetted channel. "Can you go again?"

_So soon? _Granted, Dean looked better – color was starting to return to his face and his eyes were no longer silver. His cock was half-hard, laying against his belly and he looked thoroughly debauched already. Castiel felt the embarrassing urge to point out that he would probably last an even shorter time than before. He gently rocked into Dean, even that little bit of motion making the boy arch and let out a needy little whine, and he smiled, petting down Dean's chest, his hand resting over the claw mark across his heart.

"In a moment," Castiel promised, smiling widely down at Dean, who lazily returned it. Really, there should be laws against how good Dean looked, with his sun-kissed skin adorably rose-bitten, his brown-blonde hair ruffled every which way and damp, dark from sweat, red standing out stark and pure against his skin and sweat occupying every divot that blood didn't, blending the two things together and swirling them in an intoxicating cocktail on Dean's body. "First, you're going to tell me what you were doing in the middle of the night, bleeding out and close to death."

Dean stiffened, staring up at Castiel with wide eyes for a long moment, biting his lip guiltily, before he pushed himself to a sitting position. Castiel let him go, wincing when it meant he slipped out of Dean with a wet sound, and the boy moved so he was sitting up, his hands in his lap. Castiel didn't miss the way his fingers traced along the edges of his still-healing, stitched-up claw marks. It looked like a wolf had taken a swipe at him.

He remained silent, staring down at the rumpled sheets of Castiel's bed, and the Alpha got tired of waiting for the answer. He took Dean's chin in his hand, following when the boy shied away from the touch, and forced their eyes to meet. "Why were you running away?"

Dean snarled, jerking his head from Castiel's hand and it was a good thing that the vampire had anticipated that otherwise Dean would be talking from a broken jaw. "I wasn't _running away,_" he snarled, seemingly insulted at the very notion, as though it was the most ridiculous thing Castiel had ever suggested. The Alpha just barely managed to restrain himself from rolling his eyes. "I was running…_to_ someone." A flicker downward, another guilty bite of his lip.

"You were running to me, weren't you?" Castiel asked lowly, his voice holding the revelation in it. Dean didn't feel he needed to respond to that. Immediately Castiel leaned forward, his words tailed with a snarl. "Did Sam hurt you? Did he do this to you?" His hand joined Dean's, tracing around the edges of the wound.

Dean shied away. "No! I mean, yes, but…but, it was an accident!" he cried out defensively, curling his shoulders in on himself and drawing his legs up to block Castiel out. Every movement of Dean's stirred eddies of scent into Castiel's being – the vampire resisted the urge to lick his lips.

He snorted derisively at Dean's claim. "An accident," he repeated scathingly.

"No need to sound so dismissive," Dean snarled, obviously stronger as time went on, his body absorbing and using Castiel's energy to give him strength. He looked a million times better but still a little gaunt and pale, like he'd not been getting enough sleep. Castiel wondered if that was because of his condition or something else. "He just…surprised me, is all."

"Surprised you?" Castiel repeated again, feeling vaguely like a parrot mimicking words spoken to it.

"Yeah…" Dean blew out a breath, looking at a very interesting wrinkle between his body and Castiel's, either unable or unwilling to meet the Alpha vampire's eyes. "I mean…After you let me go back with Sam, he was acting all…different. More possessive and controlling and stuff. I thought it was a werewolf thing and didn't think much of it, but then I started getting _hungry_." Dean swallowed, jade eyes flashing up to ocean blue. "Hungry like…like blood made me hungry." He swallowed again, a self-deprecating laugh falling from his lips as he carded a hand through his hair, looking down once more. "I was afraid. Downright terrified, in fact, and I thought that the cure, maybe it hadn't worked, maybe the effects were wearing off and I would have to take that medicine again. I suggested visiting you for answers and Sam got so angry he locked me in a room for three days." Dean's eyes flashed to Castiel's, wary as the Alpha vampire seemed to be growing more furious by the word. "That was a week ago."

"He wouldn't feed you?" Castiel demanded.

"He said it was nothing. All in my head." Dean gestured towards himself, smiling bitterly as he bit his lip again, looking down, and toying with the edge of a wrinkle on the sheets. "When he came back, he was…God, he was really badly hurt. Hunters had gotten at him, apparently, and he was bleeding so much…he came into my room and I didn't know what I could do to help him, and he seemed angry that I didn't know what to do, and he…he did this." Dean gestured to his side. "It was an accident, and he left straight after that. Even now I still don't know what he was after."

Castiel swallowed, the answer settling like bile in his throat, but Dean wasn't done;

"Then I started getting _really _hungry and the wounds weren't going away like they usually do. They weren't healing up and I was getting weaker by the second, and I was too afraid to sleep in case I never woke up, and eventually I had to leave to get some sugar because usually sugar solves the problem – I thought maybe my blood sugar was low. And then…then, Sam found me in the park and he was saying some…saying some really weird shit." Dean's brow wrinkled, eyes growing stormy as he thought, before they moved to Castiel's. "Said he'd 'fed' from me before, that I'd been fine, and he…Shit, he _knew _what was going on with me but he wasn't helping. I mean, Bobby was telling him and he was just fucking stalling! I almost died and he was too hung up on the fact that it hadn't happened _before?_" He was getting agitated now, pressing his hand over the mark on his chest and then pointing away from him, in a vague direction but to symbolize where Sam theoretically was. His expression was twisted into one of hate and betrayal. "I…you're the only one I could think of that had any answers. You said you were a liar but I had to believe that you wouldn't lie about this, because you were talking about it before, when you let me go, and…" He paused, biting his lip. "You help me. You make the ache go away."

The both of them were silent for a very long time, Dean tired from the long explanation, absently rubbing at his throat and wincing, and Castiel near-livid with anger. He'd _known _that self-righteous pup would fuck up his mate, that eventually Dean's cravings would bring him crawling back, but not like this. Even at his most sadistic, Castiel never wished Dean to die, or to even be at risk of it.

The Alpha took a deep, calming breath, and leaned forward to splay his palm over Dean's shoulder because the touch soothed him. Dean didn't shy away, but he didn't move closer either, not even when Castiel slid even closer, his arms easily wrapping around Dean and his body moving slowly, like Dean was a rodent paralyzed with fear and Castiel was a serpent ready to devour him. Dean's heart began to kick-start as he abruptly remembered that Castiel was _powerful_ and _ancient_, so much more than Dean had been and was now. The Incubus' breath hitched violently when Castiel curled around him from behind, the vampire crouching on the balls of his feet, his knees and thighs framing Dean's chest, his hands petting through the boy's hair as Dean tried to breathe steady and willed away the feeling that he was about to be eaten alive.

Castiel's fingers turned harsh for a moment, tilting Dean's head back until the vampire could find his lips, and he placed a light kiss to them, nuzzling into Dean's bloodstained mouth. "You still don't know what you are," he murmured, half-awed, half-incredulous, petting through Dean's hair like the boy was some kind of lazy, pampered dog. Dean shivered at the ghost of breath down his neck when Castiel turned his attention that way.

He swallowed, Adam's apple bobbing, and shook his head 'no', unable to quite speak the word. Castiel 'hmm'ed.

"I figured it out after you fed from me that second time, you remember?" he whispered, placing a light kiss along the racing pulse in Dean's neck, smiling against smooth skin as he hands snaked forward, wrapping around Dean from behind. "In one of my brother's books, there was information on creatures like you. It made so much sense, and I couldn't believe I hadn't seen it before."

"What do you mean?" Dean demanded, turning his head, speaking into the corner of Castiel's jaw. "What am I?" He sounded afraid, and Castiel thought that that was good – he should be afraid. A lot of creatures could be out for the blood of such a benign yet powerful creature, if they ever managed to get their hands on Dean.

"Do you know what an Incubus is, Dean?" Castiel asked, blue flashing out of the corner of his eye and Dean shook his head, swallowing as Castiel began to trace his chest, learning the curves and divots of Dean's flesh, eliciting reactions from the tense, trembling boy as he held and caressed Dean, making him shake. "It's a creature that's…kind of like a vampire, I suppose, in the blood drinking sense…and kind of like a siren, and kind of like a witch. The female name is a Succubus. They are creatures of lust and energy – they feed off of and can replace energies taken from other living, or animated, things."

_"You feed off energy, Dean…By changing you into a vampire and feeding you as much as I have, I've been inadvertently exacerbating your condition." _Dean gasped as he remembered, eyes going wide and unfocused.

"You said you'd made it worse for me," he whispered, not quite making it a question but Castiel took it as one anyway.

"Dead things need more energy to keep them going than live things. When I changed you, and essentially killed you, you needed to feed more and take more and I kept letting you, not knowing, and not understanding. I made you crave more than you'd needed before. I made you crave blood and semen, not just regular food, and it's why you are where you are now."

"You…" Dean cut himself off, wincing, rubbing at his throat in a sign Castiel had come to directly associate with how thirsty Dean was. Seeing the signs, he began to move his hands downwards, teasing along the crease of where Dean's thigh became his hip, under his navel, dragging his nails through the soft, wiry patch of hair that surrounded the base of Dean's hardening cock. The boy whined and arched into the phantom touch. "So you made it worse. But you fixed me. I was better."

"I thought you were," Castiel said, placing a kiss to Dean's temple as he took Dean in hand, forming a loose ring and beginning to pump Dean slowly, tightening on the upstroke, adding a little twist of his wrist at the head. Dean mewled for him. "I thought I'd managed to erase my taint from you. I thought you'd be safe with Sam."

_"You won't ever be able to bite him. You won't be able to change him."_

"Sam _knew_," Dean growled, accusatory and shocked, his words muffled behind a clenched jaw and tight lips. Castiel brushed his parted lips along Dean's temple, down his cheek, losing himself in the scent of sweat and sex that permeated Dean's every pore. By _God, _he could forever be satisfied with Dean's smell. In the metaphorical sense, of course. "Sam _knew_…"

"He would have had to know," Castiel replied. "I cannot fathom why else he would have resisted you for so long. God knows I wasn't strong enough."

"You don't believe in God," Dean said with a wry little laugh, cut off in a hiss when Castiel brushed his thumb over the slit of his cock, arching into the touch. "_Fuck, _Cas, please don't tease me." Dean's body was starting to heat up, the silver filter beginning to descend over his eyes. "I…is this what…feeding me?" He seemed to have lost the ability to string together full sentences.

"Shh, Dean, I'll take care of you," Castiel replied, shifting so that he fell backwards, sitting down with his legs extended. He gently manhandled the boy so Dean was kneeling on Castiel's lap, his back to Castiel's chest; legs open and out to either side. He was open and deliciously vulnerable and when Castiel hooked his legs up inside of Dean's and spread them out, he was even more so. Dean, the little slut, loved it, arching into it and eager for his gourmet meal. Castiel removed his fingers from Dean's cock, instead sliding two of them into his still-loose, stretched out hole, able to feel the come he'd left behind in there. "And yes. Every time you have sex, or drink blood, or eat, you will be feeding and sating the thing that makes you different, the thing that makes you stronger and faster and better than humans." He was perfect. Spread out like this, so eager and beautiful and willing, he was perfection. Castiel pushed at Dean's thighs, wanting them to spread more. "Guide me in, baby," he rasped into Dean's ear, and felt a shaking, unsure hand reach down between Dean's legs, grabbing the head of Castiel's cock and Dean quickly placed it against his hole. His hand moved away when Castiel began to thrust in, shooting out behind both him and Castiel so that the two were balanced, Dean's back arching beautifully, his hips rocking down onto the thickness of Castiel's cock, wanting it so much deeper, always deeper, never enough. The angle was perfect, Castiel managed to catch the spot that made Dean's body flare on the first try, the pressure constant and maddening against it, and Dean writhed on Castiel's lap – so much sensation, his body sucking Castiel in greedily, desperate to be fed again, and Dean thought that of all the things to be, an Incubus was far from the shittiest.

"Mm, Cas, you feel so fucking _good,_" he gasped out, head falling back onto Castiel's shoulder as Castiel took Dean's hips in his hands, gently lifting the boy up and fucking him back down. Dean was almost limp, like a living, breathing sex doll for Castiel's pleasure and the vampire would be lying if he said that it didn't send a dirty little thrill shooting up his spine.

But a liar is one of the things that Castiel _is_.

Castiel growled into Dean's ear, relishing the little gasp-shudder-arch that his boy gifted him with at the raw, animal-like sound. "You're so beautiful, Dean. Fuck, do you even _know?_" He snarled again, tossing his head and biting down on Dean's neck, feeling safer now that Dean was actually strong enough to get hard and reciprocate. Dean's eyes fluttered closed, his throat working as he swallowed and he tilted his head away from Castiel's mouth, baring his throat for the vampire's piercing teeth and questing tongue. "From the very first second I saw you, I knew I had to have you, and you were just so _pretty_." Castiel groaned again, his hands tightening. "I'm amazed that you want me, that you trust me enough for this."

Dean swallowed again, forcing his eyes open and he reached back, putting a hand over Castiel's because even with the low, rough, drawled-out voice whispering and hissing in his ear, making pleasured shivers arc up and down his spine, the sentiment couldn't be hidden below the decadent lust and carnal desire. Castiel was _thanking _Dean for his trust, for his willingness and the boy was eager to show that Castiel wasn't just a fix. Castiel was truth where Sam had been deceit, straight-up shooting against underhanded moves. Dean swallowed with guilt, remembering when he'd been here, in this very place, six months ago under Sam's orders. Sam's scheming, devious orders and he choked on a sob, feeling tears build up behind his lids. He blinked them away before they could fall.

"Thank you for helping me, Cas," was all he whispered in reply, shuddering when Castiel's hand returned to his aching cock, flushed and red with need, and Castiel ran just the pad of his thumb up the underside, teasing Dean with the not-enough contact, and Dean bucked, forcing more motion than what the limited thrusts Castiel could give him were doing. He hissed when he could _feel_ Castiel inside of him, clenching as the vampire's hand brought him pleasure, fed him even as he was satisfying another appetite of Dean's. The boy could feel his release fast approaching, coiling up in his gut like a tense wire, ready to snap.

Castiel's hips slammed up into Dean, going as far as he could in that position, and Dean shuddered, feeling Castiel's cock pressing mercilessly against his prostate, the vampire's hand agonizingly tight around his cock, and Castiel chose that moment to bite into the skin of Dean's neck, severing flesh to reach the artery, and Dean was _gone_. Castiel trembled with him as they both rode out their orgasms, Castiel only giving tiny little rocking motions with his hips, unable to move much because of the angle and the suffocating tightness that was Dean coming. The boy felt like nirvana around him, so deliciously _perfect_.

When Castiel's hands moved back to Dean's waist, having been pushed away when Dean whined, complaining about his oversensitive cock, the Alpha vampire found that Dean's claw marks were healing over nicely. The Incubus was getting even stronger.

He made to move Dean, to pull out of him, but Dean made a disappointed, desperate kind of sound and clutched at Castiel's thighs. "Can I…can I stay?" he asked shyly, turning his head to look at Castiel in the eye when the sated Alpha pulled away, licking his lips of Dean's siren blood.

Perhaps Castiel was reading too much into it, but it seemed like a loaded question. Instead of answering, he stroked his hand down Dean's side, eliciting a tiny shiver. He wrapped his arms around Dean's waist, pulling him closer and rested his chin on Dean's shoulder, just enjoying the quiet companionship for a while. Dean entertained himself in the silence by scooping up the come on his stomach and Castiel's hand, licking it off his fingers like a horse at a salt lick. Castiel only watched, engrossed in the long sweeps of his tongue and how it curled over his fingers, almost delicately despite how decadent the food was.

"Your mate will be here soon, looking for you," Castiel murmured after a good ten minutes of watching Dean lick every available bit of come from his fingers, the Incubus smiling lazy and contented and…happy. Castiel's hands tightened just mentioning Sam and Dean flinched a little at the suddenly restricting hold, and turned wide, knowing eyes on Castiel.

"Are you going to let me go again?" he whispered, and it was the way he was saying it…like he didn't want to leave. As though he was reading Castiel's mind he continued; "I don't want to…I don't want to go back to him. He lies. I mean, you both do but you at least have the common decency to tell me. He…" Dean cut himself off, biting his lip.

Castiel smiled a little, running his hand up Dean's chest so it covered over Sam's mark, the slash right over his heart. "Sweetheart, if you're looking for a mate that won't lie to you or scheme to get ahead, then perhaps you should go looking for the dead, because they have no ambition."

"You're dead. Technically," Dean argued with a slightly sardonic smile, playful, and Castiel just placed a light kiss on Dean's shoulder. The boy sighed and carded his sticky hand through his hair. "At least you seem to know what the fuck you're doing."

"I'm outraged that Sam wasn't taking care of you properly, Dean. That he wouldn't feed you his body _or _his blood." Castiel made a disgusted sound. "Typical arrogant dog."

"You two knew each other," Dean whispered, looking down and finally detaching himself from Castiel, letting the vampire's spent cock slide from him as he sat down, instead sitting between Castiel's legs, still leaning back against the Alpha's chest. "You've long been enemies."

Castiel nodded.

"You're not going to tell me how, though, are you?"

Castiel shook his head.

Dean sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and he made a distressed, pained noise, his shoulders curling to try and defend himself as he rested his knees on his folded legs, holding his head in his hands. "Fuck, this is all so fucking weird," he confessed. "I mean…fuck, I'm twenty fucking years old. You'd think I'd notice something like blood cravings!"

"I have a theory about that," Castiel commented, rubbing a hand up and down his boy's spine. "I believe that, because you were never exposed to the temptation, you laid dormant until I came along and triggered your more primal needs. The others I've talked to, they all _knew _what they were because they were born into it. Maybe it's just as simple as that – you don't notice because nothing ever triggered it, and then I forced it to become active, whatever it is that makes you not human."

Dean took in a shaky breath. Castiel could smell the saline in the air. He pulled Dean closer. "If you don't want to return to Sam then he can't make you. I'd like to see him try." Dean turned, leaning into Castiel's embrace, nuzzling into the vampire's neck with a shaky little inhale. "Are you thirsty again?" _Already?_

Dean chuckled. "I can't help it, Alpha," he said in a low, sultry voice; "You taste so damn good."

* * *

Sam's cell phone went off when he was a mile from Castiel's house. The werewolf didn't even greet the vampire with words – just a snarl.

"I have your mate," Castiel stated, as though it wasn't obvious. As though the scent of Dean's blood wasn't overwhelming even from this far away. "Sam…what were you thinking? What could have possibly possessed you to try and feed from him without his knowledge? How long did you think you'd manage to keep that up until he found out? Hmm?"

"Don't try and tell me how to run my pack or keep my mate, mosquito," Sam bit back.

"That's just the thing," Castiel replied, none of his usual sarcasm coming to the surface. He sounded dead serious. The vampire pet through Dean's hair where the boy laid next to him, fucked out and thoroughly sated, sleeping off one hell of a 'food' coma. "You're not keeping him. He doesn't want to return to you."

Sam stopped in his tracks. "What?" he demanded.

"He doesn't want to see you. He's afraid of you now – afraid of everything, to be honest. He's damaged and I had to feed him several times before he stopped gasping like he was going to die. You committed a horrific crime and he almost died because of it."

"I broke no law," Sam snarled.

"…Sam." That was it. That one word. The Alpha werewolf swallowed, his hatred growing for that creature in an instant. "Dean told me about the planned attack on my Coven. That, Sam, is a slight against our laws. You _know _this, Sam – you were there when we made them."

"…What about you?" the wolf snapped defensively. "You're planning an army. I know you are – you'll wipe us all out and break all the laws."

Castiel was smiling – Sam could hear it in his voice. "Are you sure about that?" he asked with fake innocence. "You see, Sam, when planning a full-scale attack on a species, you should be smarter than just a recon. There's no time for recon in our world – not when dealing with things such as ourselves. Lesson…what lesson does this make? Seventy-four? Take out the higher-ups _first_."

* * *

Gabriel's eyes widened as he began to search frantically through the tomes on Incubi, which he'd been researching and combing through for the past six months, learning everything and anything he could on the creatures. "No," he gasped to no one in particular, flicking through the pages frantically. "No…no, no freaking _way_."

* * *

Castiel could feel his child's distress, his Second's excitement. He looked over at Dean who was still slumbering peacefully, and pet through his hair, placing a light kiss to his temple before he slipped out of the rumpled, downy-heated bed sheets, dressing hurriedly and running to his brother's side.

"Gabriel, my brother, what is it?" he asked, taking Gabriel's face in his hands and tilting his face up so their eyes could meet.

Gabriel's expression was a mix of shock, disbelief, and amazement. He gripped Castiel's wrists, his smile almost feral like it got before he was about to kill someone, eyes flashing brightly. "He's Dean," he said, still grinning like a madman. Castiel barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"Yes, Gabriel, that's his name," Castiel replied calmly, wondering why Gabriel suddenly felt the need to point out such an obvious thing. He frowned a little, a furrow in his brow as he began to feel around his brother's head, suddenly struck with the strange thought that maybe Gabriel had hit his head somewhere.

The Second snorted, shaking his head and finally withdrawing from Castiel's hold. "No, no you don't understand," he muttered, going back over to his desk. On it were three books, all opened to various places and weighed down so they stayed open with other books. He took a hold of Castiel's hand, lacing their fingers together and dragged him to stand slightly behind Gabriel, reading over the shorter man's shoulder as Gabriel's fingers traced along the neat black writing, trying to find the right passage. "Do you know what happens when an Incubus takes a permanent mate, Alpha?"

Castiel shook his head. "No, I do not."

"I've been spending time with the creatures, until we let them go – been asking and researching. In their house was a bunch of books on their species." He gestured to the desk. "These are from there." Castiel nodded his understanding. "Anyway, when they take a mate, they become…sort of…tied together in their immortality. As in, as long as one of them still lives, the other will be able to come back. Like a weird insurance policy on reincarnation."

Gabriel turned around, the two vampires' faces brushing together, forehead to cheek, until Castiel stepped back and allowed Gabriel to have some room. The Second leaned against his desk, bracing his hands on either side of his hips and looked up to Castiel. "If they both die at the same time, neither of them will come back, because there are no ties to follow."

"I still don't understand what you're saying," Castiel replied, growling.

Gabriel rolled his eyes, biting his lip and making a frustrated sound as he tried to think of the best way to explain what he was trying to say. "I know you don't remember him, but I do," Gabriel whispered, looking away for a moment, back to a time that had long ago past. Castiel swallowed back his impatience because if this was about Dean, he wanted to know. Still, Gabriel would always get to his point eventually – Castiel just had to wait because his brother was sometimes capable of great patterns of thought and leaps of logic, often at the same time. He was a genius in his own right and Castiel respected that. Gabriel's eyes flashed back to his Alpha's. "I remember his eyes. Do you remember his eyes?"

"Who are we talking about?" Castiel growled in frustration.

Gabriel swallowed, looking away again. "When you were human. I know you don't remember, but I do. I do because I was still human before you started to lose the memories of it. I remember…I remember him, because you were so grieved that you went mad, you blocked it out, pretended like he'd never existed." Gabriel swallowed again when Castiel's upper lip curled back, because he didn't like to be reminded of the first few years of his second existence – they had been long and painful and they were very fuzzy for him.' I remember you telling me of the time the two of you got caught one day kissing in the trees and you were almost killed because it was wrong and a sin." The vampire swallowed, his heart giving a low thump as he remembered the distress he'd felt when he'd learned that his baby brother had almost been killed for having relations with another man. Castiel had only been beaten very badly and left in the church to atone for his sins. The other boy had been sent away to the farm country. "I remember how much you cried. You told me…you told me it was like you were missing a piece of your soul, do you remember?"

Castiel swallowed, taking a step back so he was leaning against the wall. He _did_ remember, very vaguely. The flash of green eyes in the summer sun, hair bleached blonde by so much time outside, strong muscles working the hunt and a gorgeous, full-lipped smile. He sucked in a breath. "I remember him," he said slowly, unsure because he didn't quite. It had been a very long time ago. Back when Castiel was still human, still young even by those years.

Castiel had never cried so hard in his life when the boy had been taken away, claimed to be evil and wrong and against normal society. He had always thought the boy had died.

"But he found you again," Gabriel continued in a whisper, both of the vampires stone still except for their moving mouths and wide eyes. "Right before you began to change, before you became what you are, he found you. I know you didn't think I knew that, but I heard you. I heard him whisper about forever and then there was this bright light…" Gabriel winced at the memory, because it still gave him a headache, even now, to think about it.

"I remember," Castiel repeated. Those were the only words he seemed to be able to get out.

"And then…a week after that, you were a vampire. You were…you were immortal, unbreakable, unchangeable, and he was there, with you through it. I remember because when you changed me I could still smell his scent on you. But then he was gone. We were attacked for being wrong and I can remember him dying because I felt it when you grieved."

Castiel swallowed, finally looking away from his brother's eyes because they held so many things that Castiel had managed to forget. "Why are you picking at my old wounds, Gabriel?" he demanded in a harsh growl, because he didn't want to think about this.

"What if…what if an Incubus' mate was technically already dead, but there was still a line to follow? I thought maybe…maybe you were projecting, because all those children that you've brought to your bed, human and vampire alike, they were all…they all looked the same. And then that one woman you almost mated with. She…God, she even smelled like him. What if, instead of coming back and following you, he got lost a little? What if the process messed him up and he kept coming back as the wrong person? Would he eventually manage to come back as the right person but at the wrong time? Or, maybe, without any memories?"

Gabriel's voice had lowered, gotten thick with meaning, and Castiel's head snapped up so he could meet his brother's eyes, his own narrowed and stormy. "That wouldn't be possible. I'd recognize him."

"That mark that he left," Gabriel insisted, straightening, getting excited now, his speech speeding up and his heart beating a little faster, "he left it on your neck. He bit you, but when you transformed everything was healed over again. It was gone because the mark on your soul that he'd left behind to find you again was gone. He was lost and confused and he could have been anyone, anywhere. You're _drawn_ to each other because he's _meant _to draw you in, and you are meant to call to him as well."

"No…" Castiel shook his head, moving away from the wall, back towards Gabriel's door, because he couldn't deal with this, not right now. "No, what you're suggesting is impossible." But he couldn't leave – anger was flaring up inside of him and he whirled on his brother, lips curled back in a snarl. "You can't do things like this, Gabriel! You can't just…He would have told me." The vampire seemed to deflate, then, his shoulders slumping, his eyes losing their fire. "He would have told me to wait for him."

"You changed, Cas," Gabriel whispered, stepping around the desk, towards his brother but Castiel backed away from him, still tense like a wounded animal and Gabriel stopped. "He thought he would have been able to find you again. It would be like he never died. But you changed and he got lost. He's _Dean_, Cas. Dean is your mate."

"He's _Sam's _mate," Castiel snarled, eyes flashing again.

Gabriel shook his head. "No. He holds your claim on his soul. Try looking for it instead of just fucking him into the mattress. Before his 'mate' comes to claim him."

* * *

When Castiel returned to his quarters, Dean was up, sitting on the top of the curving stairs, the guitar that Castiel had never gotten round to moving in his hands. He was tuning the strings, head cocked to one side as he listened to them and made them perfect again, then stroked down the strings gently, shushing the guitar as though it was an old friend that he was trying to learn again. His eyes were heavy-lidded and his hair was adorably sleep-mussed, his clothes thrown haphazardly on from where he'd managed to find them at the bottom end of Castiel's bed. They were still stained with his blood – Castiel would have Gabriel go get him some cleaner ones because it wouldn't do to get the cuts infected and have Dean get sick again. He looked better, though – there were dark circles under his eyes but they weren't as pronounced as before and his skin looked healthy, back to its exotic sun-kissed glow. Castiel just had to stop, looking at the beauty with new eyes. He was trying to remember, trying to force his brain to give him the memories he'd lost – a name, a voice, _something_ to trigger Castiel's memory because he had to _know_. Because if this idiotic theory was true then it would make Castiel the happiest man alive. Even without remembering who his mate actually was, Castiel could remember the heartbreak of when he'd died and the sorrow when he'd been taken away. He remembered loving that nameless, featureless man for a lot of his life. But it had been a very long time ago.

Dean flashed him a lazy, sleep-contented smile when he looked up from tuning the guitar, strumming a G chord and then adjusting the B string because he'd made it a little too sharp. "You kept this," he murmured, picking out a slow riff that Castiel didn't recognize, his leg extending in front of him onto a step further down, letting the guitar rest on his thigh and balance out. With the way he held himself over the guitar, protecting it while at the same time having it protect him, Castiel was reminded of when he'd first laid eyes on Dean, how he'd sat, the carefree happiness, and it made him smile to see the same kind of posture and expression on Dean's face now.

_He'd make a good mate._

Castiel approached until he was at the bottom of the stairs, gripping the polished wood a little more tightly than necessary. "I never got around to giving it back to you," he replied, eyes flashing to the green-and-black instrument, brought to life so easily under Dean's hands. Castiel fancied he could see the energy Dean was giving to it, wondered if the reason why Dean could make it sing so well for him was because he was putting himself into the guitar, literally giving it life. "And I…I liked having it around. As something to remember you by, I guess, though I don't play myself."

Dean smiled. His fingers were still slightly sore but that just meant he pressed a little more lightly to the strings, tinkling out bright and happy trills and riffs, fingers dancing up and down the neck. Castiel watched as the seemingly random snatches of tune began to form together, Dean starting to make them into a song. Not once did the Incubus' eyes move from Castiel's.

"Why doesn't your blood change me anymore?" Dean asked after a long while, snapping Castiel out of the hypnotized reverie he'd managed to fall into. The vampire blinked, straightening himself, and bit his lip in thought. Dean's eyes followed the action.

"I don't know," he replied honestly. "I think it's just because you had that cure before. Maybe it's a lasting treatment, like when antibodies stick around when you've had a disease. That's essentially what become a vampire is like – getting a disease."

"One hell of a disease," Dean muttered with a small smirk, and Castiel winced because he recognized that light, sardonic smile. He recognized it on more than one person. Dean's hands slowed to a stop on the guitar, his palm muting the strings. "Something's on your mind." It wasn't a question.

"Am I that obvious?" Castiel replied.

Dean cocked his head to one side. "No," he said after a moment, eyes narrowed and appraising. "No, but I feel as though I know anyway." Castiel's breath caught, his eyes widened. Had Dean always been saying stuff like that? Or had Castiel just never held the weight of it before? "Is there anything I can do to help?" the boy asked, setting the guitar to one side.

_Yes, _Castiel thought immediately, and the vampire slowly began to ascend the stairs, holding himself back as much as he could because even after everything, Dean was still a little skittish around him. At least, until he figured out what Castiel wanted of him. It might be something that Castiel never managed to train out of him. The vampire wouldn't know.

"I want you to make yourself comfortable, Dean," Castiel said softly, brushing a hand along Dean's cheek when he came to the top of the stairs. Dean looked up and leaned into the touch, his eyes getting dark. "There's something I need to confirm." Castiel smiled at Dean's expression. "Later," he promised, knotting his hand in Dean's soft hair and giving a light tug before he moved over to the bedroom. Dean followed along behind, eager and curious, and stopped when Castiel gestured for him to get on the bed. He crawled onto it, sitting in the middle because Castiel wasn't giving off (many) pheromones and the man's voice didn't ooze sex like it normally did when he was in the mood. And Castiel had said 'Later' – Dean assumed that meant there was something to come before the later. After all, there's always a 'Now'.

Castiel frowned as he tried to remember. He remembered a…a pulse. Slowly he crawled forward, kneeling in front of Dean, and dark green eyes watched him as he cautiously leaned forward, brushing his hand along the line of Dean's tendon in his throat. The boy bit his lip but didn't move otherwise. No…no that wasn't right. Castiel's hand flattened out against Dean's neck and the boy swallowed, getting a little nervous and Castiel's eyes weren't on his face anymore – they were staring at his chest, like he was seeing deeper than clothing and skin, like he _could_. Dean's heart began to beat a little faster.

"Take off the shirt," Castiel demanded softly, his hand moving to touch Dean's collarbone. He only moved his hand away so that Dean could rip his shirt over his head, and Castiel was touching bare skin again. Bare, warm, golden (but lighter, whiter) skin that thrummed with heat and the rhythm of Dean's pulse. Something was there…the light and heat of Dean's soul. Castiel could feel it but he didn't recognize it – it wasn't reaching out to greet him like Gabriel said it would. Castiel swallowed, determined to follow this through and not chicken out. He shifted closer to Dean so that the two were inches apart, Dean looking up at him through thick black lashes and wide, innocent eyes. He was trembling very slightly. Or that might have been Castiel.

"Why is one liar better than the other?" Castiel asked, not sure where the question came from, as he lightly dragged his fingertips across Dean's heart, down his chest, resting on the slash mark left behind by Sam. Apparently vampire venom doesn't erase a werewolf claw. "Why are you comfortable with me and not with him?"

Dean took a shaky breath, his skin breaking out into goose bumps, his nipples turned into hard little nubs and Castiel flicked one with his thumb, gently, making Dean hiss. He moved his hand up again to Dean's neck, because he had been closer there. Dean's shaky exhale ghosted across his lips and Castiel licked them, his mouth gone dry.

"Sam just…feels wrong," Dean confessed. "He's not…" _You_. The sentence was finished without Dean having to say it, and something…_flared_ inside of the boy. Castiel gasped, his eyes widening, his hand moving across Dean's neck, along the downward slope of his shoulder, and stopped when he reached Dean's arm, gripping his bicep. He'd gone too far – he'd lost it.

"Keep talking," Castiel demanded.

"I feel like I should recognize you," Dean confessed, looking away from Castiel even though the vampire's eyes weren't on his face – they were focused somewhere around his heart. "When you…when you touch me, I feel it for hours afterwards. You changed me, like you said – your blood was in my veins. I felt drawn to you, even before that. I was afraid of what I was feeling. Sam's never made me feel that way before. I feel like we've met…before Sam. Before everything."

Castiel felt like he could cry. He saw it. His mark. Burned into Dean's shoulder even though this body didn't bear it. The vampire's palm began to heat up and Dean shifted, alarmed by what was happening. His skin began to glow, his eyes turning silver.

"What's happening?" he asked, panicked, trying to move away from the burning touch but Castiel's other arm came around him and trapped him close.

"You found me," he whispered into Dean's soft hair, and the world went white.

* * *

_Phantom touches down his spine. Castiel can feel them. He shivers, unused to this kind of sensation, unable to handle being held so close, especially by another boy, a male. It's wrong, it's a sin, but it feels so good, so painfully good. The bark of an old oak tree is rough against his skin when the boy pins him there, laves at the racing pulse in his neck. He's burning up – he feels flushed and needy and so _ready_, as in yesterday. He grips at Dean's sparse clothing, mewling into his lover's neck, begging with needy touches and eager bucks of his hips. He wants Dean, so badly._

_He knows what Dean is. Dean knows it too. They're ready._

_But his father comes before Dean can mark him. The Incubus is torn away from his young lover and Castiel cries out, falling to his knees, before strong hands haul him up again. He's knocked unconscious and when he wakes up a day later, he's on the cold marble altar of a church, locked there for three days for his sins and given penance every day, fed nothing and seeing even less of daylight. When he emerges, his eyes hurt at the bright sunlight, he no longer eats as much food, and Dean is long gone.

* * *

_

_They find each other again when Castiel passes nineteen. It's such a young age. Castiel's mother has just died and his legitimate father has run off, leaving Castiel with the man who hates him more than anyone. Castiel is a stain on the household, inviting demons inside and when Castiel turns twenty he runs away, trying to make it on his own in the country. Dean finds him that very day, shriveled and near death underneath another oak, shivering and soaked. The Incubus gives him energy, whispers words of love and devotion and 'Forever' into his ear, and then he takes Castiel to the family he was always meant to have – a family full of love and laughter with his absent father and several half-brothers by that man. Gabriel is one of them and he cares for Castiel despite how long they've been apart, not knowing about each other, despite the reminder to themselves that their dad is a dead-beat and their mothers are dead. They live together and grow and Dean watches and lives off of stolen moments with Castiel when the moon is gone and no one's watching.

* * *

_

_Castiel is almost thirty by the time neither of them can wait anymore. Castiel doesn't want to leave Gabriel behind but really, this just means that he never will. Dean and he can blend, move away, escape to another place because what they have, what they _are_ is a sin and they're going to hell, but Dean will never die and after this night, neither will Castiel. Not unless they both want to._

_They're in Castiel's room because the night is stormy outside and Dean won't risk his lover's, his mate's, health. He lets Castiel rock into him, between his spread legs, crying out softly into Castiel's open, panting mouth about forever and love and how nothing will come between them now. His palm is heating up again, his eyes flaring brightly and when Castiel finally marks him, burning a handprint into his shoulder, clutching tightly like he's going to die if he doesn't, Dean bites him. It's a link they both will follow until the end, Castiel will drag Dean from death and Dean will coax Castiel into this world again. They will never be apart from each other._

_Dean stays with Castiel after that. Castiel and Gabriel were the youngest of the brothers and the rest had moved on they manage other things and build other lives. Dean lurks in the background but Gabriel can see the bite on his brother's neck and he doesn't ask about it, doesn't call Castiel's bluff when the man says he was injured by one of the dogs during a play-fight. Dean finds the excuse funny. But others are muttering about it, because some of them have learned things, seen signs of things. They notice that in all the time Dean's lived there, he's hardly aged a day. They notice things like stolen smiles between the mates, how their eyes light up with love and how they always reach for each other, pulling back a second too late because they remember that they're in public._

_They watch as Castiel begins to change, how he'll eye people like they're food. A young vampire, the only vampire, until Gabriel starts acting the same way, and he gets a bite on him too._

_They're a sin. Monsters, demons, _creatures _of the night that are not welcome._

_Dean dies that day. Castiel feels it in his very soul. His grief drives him mad. He kills everyone in that neighboring village and buries Dean's body out beneath a giant old oak tree. He moves on with Gabriel and doesn't see when Dean crawls out of the grave, because Dean never told him.

* * *

_

The two came back to themselves with breathless gasps. There was blood around Dean's mouth and Castiel realized it was because the boy had bitten him during all of that. There was sweat between their bodies and when Castiel peeled his sticky hand away, there was a red, angry-looking handprint on Dean's shoulder. It was covered in melted flesh like Castiel had burned it right into him and the vampire gasped, remembering, remembered grabbing that very mark so long ago when he'd held Dean in his arms as he died, remembered trying to search for him, trying to pull him back and being unable to find him. He didn't have a soul to chase Dean with.

Dean's breath ghosted along Castiel's racing, hammering pulse, and his shoulders were shaking, and Castiel took a moment to realize he was crying. _"Castiel." _It was all he said, that one word, but it held millennia of longing and love, of sadness and fear and _relief_, so much relief, palpable in the way Dean clung to Castiel like he was going to fall apart. _"Castiel_."

"I'm here, Dean, I'm here," Castiel soothed, petting through his boys' – his _mate's_ – soft hair, holding Dean as close as he could, as close as he dared, cradling the creature while Dean sobbed. Castiel couldn't imagine it – it seemed like the burden of a thousand lifetimes was crashing into Dean at once, crushing him with their weight. "Shh, baby. I'm right here."

They stayed like that for an immeasurable amount of time – it was one of those scenes that stretched on forever and then was over way too soon. Dean shifted, wiping at his eyes but still kept his forehead pressed to the soaked, salt-crusted skin of Castiel's neck. "Why didn't you wait for me?" he asked, voice sounding small and accusatory.

Castiel swallowed. "You never told me. I thought you were dead." His fingernails dug into Dean's spine, hitching him closer, making the Incubus hiss and arch to avoid the painful touch. "I thought you weren't coming back, that you had gone to a place I couldn't follow. You could die. I couldn't."

Dean shook his head but didn't argue – he remembered now. He _hadn't_ told Castiel. He hadn't thought he'd ever need to – he thought they would be safe together, would die together. Dean smiled, his expression so much older now on his young, new face, and he cupped Castiel's jaw, closing his eyes and pressing his forehead to Castiel's lips, just holding him like that. "I finally found you," he whispered brokenly, and the vampire's eyes closed. He bowed his head and hunched his shoulders, cradling Dean in the protection of his arms. Nothing would ever harm him now, not when Castiel finally had him back. The first tears did fall, then, stinging at Castiel's eyes because it had been a long, long time since he'd cried. The tears felt cold, sliding down his cheeks, dropping off his face and into Dean's hair and the Incubus just pet him through it, his eyes closed, his heart slowing, sighing happily. His shoulder ached and Castiel's neck burned, but they were together again. It had taken far too long – Dean had never died so many times in his life – but he did it.

"You're such a liar," he finally said after a long time, smirking around the edges when Castiel pulled away, tear-streaked face meeting tear-streaked face. Castiel cocked his head to one side, his own wry smile quirking at his mouth.

"Why do you say that?" he asked, brushing a thumb over Dean's cheek, unable to believe that this was _Dean_. He felt like he could kiss Gabriel for finding that out, for figuring that out, otherwise Castiel would have never known – it would have been one of many links in a chain cycle.

Dean's smile grew. "You weren't there when Jesus died. You were with my seventh body, in France." Castiel's eyes widened, thinking of Chastity, of the woman he had almost claimed as a mate before things had gone wrong.

"That was _you_?" he asked incredulously.

Those green eyes brightened, Dean's smile grew even more, and he leaned up for a tender kiss that tasted of salt and reunion, and Castiel's arms tightened. He was never letting Dean go again. Not without one hell of a fight.

* * *

Sam's wolves had Castiel's house surrounded within the hour. Dean and Castiel stood, flanked by whatever meager forces they'd managed to dredge up. There weren't many – Castiel's family had taken that brutal hit from Sam's own pack and the Alpha vampire just hadn't had occasion to change and train any more. There were two dozen against a hundred wolves.

Dean's eyes flashed to Castiel's face, the Incubus swallowing, and Castiel could hear him, even though Dean didn't say a word;

_Don't let me go again._

Castiel looked over to his mate, his lips quirking up in the semblance of a smile, his eyes full of love, and Dean relaxed, secure in his mate's affection for him. He couldn't help it – he'd tried to reach Castiel so many times but hadn't had the chance, and it had been a _long _time, for both of them. Dean still couldn't believe he'd managed to erase his entire memory when creating himself in this new body. It was only slightly different from his original one – the one he had met Castiel in for the first time. It was more built, had had less time in the sun, and he'd taught it to play music. Castiel had always loved music. It enthralled him.

Sam was snarling, full of barely contained rage, able to see the print on Dean's shoulder, the bite on the Alpha vampire's neck that, unlike the others, would never go away; the mark of dominion and love and an irrevocable claim in their world. _Till Death Do Us Part, _and then some.

"You had no right," Sam growled, pointing accusingly at Castiel, stepping into the No Man's Land between the two sides. "_No _fucking right to lay your mark on him! He's _mine!_"

"No," Castiel replied, meeting Sam stride for stride until the creatures were toe to toe, Sam's obvious height and bulk an equal match for the fire blazing in the vampire's eyes. "He was mine first. Mine forever. You were just one in a long line of wrong turns." He could hear Dean swallow guiltily, looking down, because despite how things were now Dean _did _love the werewolf, had held affection for him, and that didn't just _go away_. "But he's come home to me now and I'm not letting him go again."

Sam snarled, quivering with rage, just barely contained. He looked ready to rip Castiel limb from limb. The vampires' hearts were starting to beat, seeing their Alpha so close to so dangerous an enemy. Dean could hear the few Incubi that they'd kept around to interrogate start to stir in their cells, able to sense the gathering storm in the air. His own skin tingled with it – he felt like there was a live electric current shooting straight down his spine.

_Alpha?_

_Not yet_.

He could hear the words in his head, figured Castiel was communing silently with his kin. Gabriel shifted uneasily next to Dean, having been flanking Castiel's other side, his eyes focused, dark and ominous, on the gathered wolves. They were truly an intimidating force – all bulk and brute strength, snarling mouths and flashing eyes.

"You've broken the laws," Sam accused softly, so softly that Dean had to strain to hear it.

_"You _broke it," Castiel replied. "You attacked my home and stole my mate away from me. You _used_ my own _mate_ to strike against my people." The vampire's lip curled back and he snarled. "I should execute you right now just for those crimes alone."

"You have no proof."

Castiel raised an eyebrow. "Dean is very forthcoming to people he trusts," he replied smoothly, watching how Sam's eyes darkened and flashed accusingly Dean's way. "And you've just given me all the confirmation I need."

"Fuck the laws!" Sam finally yelled, pushing at Castiel, getting distance between the two Alphas, and within a second Sam was a wolf – a giant, snarling mass of brown-golden fur – and lunged before Castiel could recover from the push, shoving Castiel down. The vampire snarled and landed a hard punch to the side of Sam's face and scurried backwards. Immediately several other vampires surged forward, flanking him with their own bodies, allowing him time to get a grip on himself before he was out of the throng again. Every vampire heard Castiel's order; _His blood is mine. No one is to interfere._

Dean understood. Really, he did – Castiel was out for Sam's blood and Sam had been a major thorn in his metaphorical paw for a very long time now, but _still, _Dean was _not _going to sit by and watch his mate risk his life for the sake of…what? Territory?

It had been a while for Dean, but with his memories came the experience of how to use his abilities properly. He took a deep breath, his fingers stretching out by his side before he cracked them and stretched them again. Wolves and vampires alike watched his movements, wary and curious, but he didn't move any more than that. He closed his eyes, taking in another deep breath, trying to find Sam's energy amidst the horde. It was hard with so many bodies packed close together, to find one among many, but Sam's was large. He was a glowing ball of amber-yellow light, roving about the room. Without actually moving, Dean reached out, took a handhold of that ball, and tugged, breaking it apart a little. He heard Sam gasp and stumble, and Dean took the energy into himself, let it disperse – his body felt like it had just been hit with an electric shock – and then tried it again. Piece by piece, he was picking at Sam's core until the Alpha werewolf stumbled, fell, and Dean opened his eyes just in time to see Castiel lunge for him, land on his prone form, his mouth at the wolf's neck.

Sam was panting heavily, sweat slicking his coat and making it almost black. Castiel looked only marginally better – Sam had managed to catch him across the chest and the scent of the Alpha's blood was making the vampires' eyes darken.

Everything was frozen to a standstill – Sam and Castiel were locked together, completely still, each side holding their breath to see what Castiel would do – he had the advantage. Dean had never seen Sam looking more exhausted in his life, and the Incubus himself…well, he felt sick, actually. Taking enough energy from Sam that he had, he actually felt nauseous, and grabbed at his stomach, wincing. It was the only movement in Castiel's foyer and it broke the tension, when Castiel's eyes flashed to him, and then back at Sam.

He stood, moving away from the wolf. Sam's eyes followed him and he changed back into a human, sitting up. "What are you doing?" he snapped, "Finish it!"

"No," Castiel replied, swallowing, stepping back again. "I will not."

His eyes flashed to Dean for a moment and Sam followed his gaze, snorting derisively. "_Him?_" He shoved himself to his feet, already gaining his energy back and Dean bit his lip, concentrating, ready to take more should he need to even though he was pretty sure he would end up taking too much. "You're going soft, Alpha vampire."

"I've been fighting for too long, Sam," Castiel whispered in reply. "I wasted a very long time fighting – I've wasted almost all my existence fighting, and killing, and I'm getting a little sick of it." Dean's eyes flared open again, and he was a little surprised to find that he'd double over, clutching his stomach, breathing hard through the pain of keeping all of this energy inside himself without a safe outlet. He needed to, like, get injured or something. _Anything_. "Just leave now before more blood is shed."

"You speak like a coward," Sam replied, growling again and a few of his wolves muttered their assent. "You want peace only because you're on a losing side. Do you -?" Suddenly Sam was on the ground again, Castiel's hand around the wolf's throat. Sam clawed at Castiel's hand but the vampire held firm, his lips thinned out in a line, his eyes blazing.

"Do not presume to know my motives, you filthy, good-for-nothing _dog,_" he snarled, tightening his fist for a moment, cutting off Sam's air. "You come into my house, insult me, kill my Children and try and take my mate again, even after he's been claimed and he has come to realize himself. You are _arrogant_, Sam. Your species has bred and grown strong and that has made you proud and foolish. I am still the oldest out of the two of us – I still have power and knowledge and experience that you will never _begin_ to fathom for the rest of your years, and Dean…_Dean _is even older. Do you think you can satisfy or threaten either of us? What gives you the right? What gives you the _power_ to do such a thing?" Castiel snarled, leaning down, his teeth elongating and extending over his usual set, venom dripping down onto Sam's neck and jaw as the wolf whined in distaste, turning his head away. The rest of the werewolves shifted in unease, only held back by Sam's mental command, and Gabriel, too, was ready to fight, ready to lead the rest of the vampires in to protect their Alpha. "I could change you in an instant. I could make you _need_ me, crave me like the rest of them do. I could make you powerless to resist me, make you want to roll over and beg for just a taste of my blood, a second of my affection. _You, _Sam, will never have that power over me."

He pressed down for a second more, long enough that Sam began to see red spots in front of his vision and the periphery was starting to get black, before Castiel let his throat go, leaving finger-shaped bruises behind, and Sam was left, gasping at the ceiling, as Castiel stood and tracked his way back to his mate. He put a hand on Dean's shoulder and Dean almost sobbed in relief when he saw how tired Castiel was, started feeding him some of Sam's energy through the contact of Castiel's hand against his shoulder, starting reviving his mate while relieving some of the pressure inside himself.

"Now, go and stay gone," Castiel demanded, his eyes hard and his body tense, his tone clearly stating that he would have no problem killing each and every one of the wolves, no matter what the cost. "Make sure that you all never see my face again because if you do, it will be the last thing you see."

Some of the wolves crept cautiously forward, eyeing Castiel warily before they picked Sam up, managing to put him onto his unsteady feet, and supported him on the way out. Gabriel followed, making sure they left and didn't try and find a way around the house through a back entrance. The rest of the able vampires surrounded their Alpha and his mate, protecting them while Dean took time to recover from taking so much energy from Sam.

"Cas," he growled, pain setting his teeth on edge, grabbing at the edges of Castiel's shirt, hand curling tightly around his forearm with a crushing grip. "Burns."

Castiel knelt down, holding Dean close to him. He felt tired but also rejuvenated, knew Dean was trying to use him as an outlet but there just wasn't enough room in the both of them. Dean was burning fever-hot, sweating, his heart beating so fast out of his chest, his breath harsh and panting.

"I know, baby," he said, standing up again and supporting Dean with his body, putting one of Dean's arms around his shoulders so they could walk together. Dean whined when it stretched out his stomach, clutching at his torso as though trying to hold the contents in. "It's alright." There, so close to death and being fed his enemy's power, Castiel had never felt more alive. This kind of thing was cause for a celebration. "I know just how to wear you out."

* * *

Castiel could remember how Dean felt, the night the two laid together for the very first time. He'd been nervous, only twenty, Dean 'younger' than that, but the Incubus had known. It was in his species to know, to coax and lure and guide his mate, his food, to give him what he needed. It only seemed natural to slick Castiel's fingers up with salve from his brother's medical kit, smearing the greasy ointment across and inside of Dean's entrance, to pierce Dean's body with his fingers and smoothly glide them in, to paint Dean's insides with his hands and the grease and get him ready. It had only been natural to twist his fingers and find a little lump that was different from the rest of the velvety smoothness, to press against it until Dean was writhing and begging for him to stop, continue, more, less, no, _yes_. It was only natural to add another finger, get them to three, thrusting easily inside of Dean's welcoming, burning, gracious body as the Incubus clung to him and whispered words of eternity into his ear. Dean was older than Castiel, if not physically, as a supernatural creature. As a creature of giving and receiving life, he was the first of the Firsts, the creator of the Alphas, the first of his kind and all the kinds he'd spawned – the First vampire, the First siren, the First of the Fey, all had come from Incubi, creatures that Dean had created, and those like him. They didn't know if Dean was the Alpha Incubus but he was the oldest one they could remember and Incubi are generally so benign and reclusive that it didn't much matter to them.

Dean's legs had locked around Castiel, dragging him in, pulling him closer, letting the human know such pleasure and joining as other humans hadn't felt since the time of the Angels and Giants, of old Gods and newer Demii. Heat, tight and welcoming had locked around the shaking, sweating human, binding them together, tearing them apart, Dean's own heart beating out an erratic baseline that Castiel's hips followed, snapping into Dean's own, the wet slap of skin against skin and their harsh breathing the only sound in Castiel's tiny room in their tiny house in the middle of nowhere (only deemed 'the middle' because all one could see was forest and fields in all directions and it was equidistant from the two largest neighboring towns). When Dean had laid his bite to Castiel's neck, pleasure and energy overflowing from him and pouring into the youth, Castiel hadn't been long behind, his palm burning hot and sealing over Dean's shoulder, ripping away at his flesh and bone until there was only soul and raw energy, a bright glowing ball of lust and love and unchangeable, dangerous beauty.

* * *

That night, when the threat was gone and the war was over, when Castiel drew Dean into their room and the two creatures shared in each other again…it was a lot like that first night. Castiel would never know because Dean would never tell him, but in every body that Dean had managed to find Castiel in, the Incubus had saved himself for his mate, either subconsciously or otherwise – Castiel would always be Dean's first.

The two powerful, immortal creatures renewed their bond that night, crying out to a night only lit by a waning gibbous moon, and somewhere, where the souls of creatures undamned are, their essences entwined as well and settled down to rest.


	3. Phoenix Hunting

Title: Phoenix Hunting  
Author: HigherMagic  
Pairings: Dean/Castiel, mentions of Castiel/OCs (past-Deans) and past Dean/Sam, and implied past Dean/Nick, Dean/Jo and Dean/Pam.  
Rating:NC-17  
Word Count: **~29,000**  
Spoilers:Kind of S6 but it's AU.  
Summary: _"I wish you would have told me. I wish that I'd have known," he whispered, and Dean swallowed again, guiltily, reaching a hand up and smoothing his thumb over the back of Castiel's hand, over his heart, his eyes getting bright and wet. "But the past is the past, and we could not see the future then." Castiel smiled a little more widely. "I have you now, and I'm not letting you go again. Not without one hell of a fight."_  
Notes/Warnings: Third part after Dormant Siren and Siren Song . Those two should probably be read before this one. Contains sex, language, character death and violence, as well as some weird-ass plot devices. *awkward pause.* I wanted to get this up before 6.12 but I didn't manage, but I so wish I did because HOLY CRAP. It's like, well… Anyway. Again *braces self for siennis' wrath* Not my best work, I think. At least in terms of resolution.  
Unbeta'd. All mistakes are my own.

* * *

_"If he knows what's good he won't come here no more, 'cause you're kickin' his butt at the count of four…" _Castiel smiled, cocking his head to one side at the melodious song echoing through the halls of his new house – he'd moved after the invasion of the Alpha werewolf's pack into his home, deeming the place too wrecked and too well-known to be a safe house for him and his newest Children anymore. Now he, his mate and his newest changelings were holed up in a large house in the Sierra Nevada mountains surrounding the west side of Ridgecrest; a small town in northeastern California. The weather was agreeing with him and Dean – he'd never smiled more in his existence, but that could have been more to do with his recent reunion with his resurrected mate.

_"Goodnight, demon slayer, goodnight…" _Castiel chuckled at the words, making his way from the cages for his newest Children and towards his private rooms, but stopped, realizing Dean's voice wasn't coming from that direction. He cocked his head to one side, listening with keen ears, concentrating and waiting for the next words to sound; _"Now it's time to close your tired eyes – there're Devils to slay and dragons to ride; –" _He turned, heading towards the back of the house. _"- if they see you coming, Hell, they'd better hide. Goodnight, goodnight, goodnight." _

Castiel found Dean slouched in one of the reclining wicker chairs in the back yard, looking out towards the rise and fall of the mountains in the late afternoon. The sun slanted in through the glass panes and the air was pleasantly warm, so much so that Castiel felt his body heating as well, becoming almost a normal human temperature. The glass protected the vampire from the sun's harmful UV rays – the parts of the light that harmed Castiel after prolonged exposure – and the back patio area was lit with the bright sun, uninhibited by clouds, and the sky was a bright, bright blue.

Sunlight played over Dean and his bright electric-green-and-black guitar, his fingers playing over the strings so easily, the guitar thrumming with the very energy the Incubus was putting into it. He really was a talented musician. His eyes were half-lidded, his posture relaxed as he stared out over the valley Castiel's house overlooked. Castiel couldn't help but smile, seeing the serene, relaxed expression on his mate's face and hearing his steady hum of a voice, low and rough with his Mid-Western drawl like he tended to take on when he was very relaxed.

_"…Goodnight, my little slayer, goodnight…Goodnight, goodnight, goodnight…Goodnight." _Dean's fingers plucked lightly over the strings again, muscles shifting effortlessly under his golden-brown skin, which had darkened under the constant attention of the California sun. His t-shirt and jeans clung effortlessly to his firm, muscled body, sprawled out as it was over the wicker chair, and Castiel couldn't help how his mouth watered, because Dean was just that gorgeous – he looked like a contented jungle cat, all smooth lines and power. His feet were bare and his shirt was rolled up to past his elbows, over-shirt opened and splayed out around his t-shirt and he looked decadent and so relaxed that, for a moment, all Castiel could do was stare.

The final chord rang out and Dean stirred, blinking lazily over at Castiel before he smiled. "You gonna stand there staring all day or join me?" he purred, his voice still with that lazy drawl as though he had just woken up from a nap, and he moved to set the guitar down before rolling over on the chair, stretching out along the extension, pillowing his head on his forearms. The vampire growled, knowing his mate was just blatantly taunting him, and he stalked forward, sliding into a crouch over Dean, who rolled back over so they could kiss. It was lazy and slow and everything Castiel wanted at that moment, as his hand slid into Dean's hair, perfect as anything, and Dean's fingers slowly played down Castiel's flanks like the vampire was his guitar, and Dean could make him sing for him. He shivered at the thought.

Dean's lips parted sweetly under Castiel's tongue, the vampire slipping into his mate's mouth easily and falling between Dean's eagerly spread legs. The warmth of the room and the heat of Dean's body combined to warm the vampire up nicely, and Dean moaned when Castiel's heart began to beat, desire making his body more human and making his breath come faster.

The Incubus arched his body a little in a teasing little grind, humming against Castiel's lips when the vampire bared his teeth in answer, second set elongating a little and nipping at Dean's mouth. "Hey," Dean admonished playfully, lightly slapping at Castiel's shoulder, "play nice." He chuckled when Castiel 'hmm'ed and nuzzled into his mouth, continuing to thoroughly ravish his mate. He loved these moments – when it was just chaste affection and love without the need for it to go anywhere. Granted, he also liked when it _went somewhere_, but he could just as easily bask in Dean's warm affection and adoration. The vampire was making it his life's mission to make up for all the centuries that they had been apart.

Dean made a contented little sound in the back of his throat when Castiel let him up for air, his eyes taking on a little silvery sheen around the pupil and Castiel smiled, knowing Dean was hungry from that sign alone – since regaining his memories, Dean had been having to recover all the experience that came with using his powers and sometimes he overstepped them a little bit. It was proving useful to have such a creature around, Castiel was discovering, but he also didn't like it when his mate strained himself, and encouraged Dean to rest and gorge himself as much as he desired. Perhaps he was spoiling his mate but they'd earned it, damn it.

"Hungry, baby?" he asked, licking along the dip between Dean's nose and his cheek and the younger (physically) man smiled and snorted, wrinkling his nose at the action because it tickled, and pet through Castiel's hair when the vampire rested his forehead against Dean's. "Wanna get some food?"

"Mm, in a minute," Dean replied, sinking down a little lower in the lawn chair, sprawling out a bit more and Castiel laid down with him, slightly on top of him but mostly to the side because the body of a vampire was a heavy one. Dean pet through Castiel's hair, scratching at the base of his neck, and smiled down at his mate. "I wanna talk about something first."

Castiel blinked, because Dean sounded kind of serious. "Yes? What is it?" he asked, settling down in the crook of Dean's arm, pillowing his head on Dean's shoulder. His legs tangled with his mate's and Dean's smile grew at the action, blinking again sleepily.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry," Dean said, and Castiel blinked again, frowning in confusion because as far as he could tell Dean had never intentionally slighted him. "For everything I did – for not telling you I was coming back, for all the times I found you again and then left or betrayed you. I'm sorry for Paris, and for Verona, and Darwin and Los Angeles. I'm sorry for what I did when I was with Sam."

Castiel frowned a little more, propping himself up on his elbow so he could see his mate's face better. Dean looked a little scared, his heart jumping quickly in his chest, his eyes wide and his lips pressed together as he swallowed, and Castiel laid a hand over his heart, lips quirking up at the corners.

"I'm not," he replied honestly, meeting his mate's gorgeous green eyes again. "If you hadn't done what you'd done for Sam I never would have found you again – it would have just been meaningless experience after meaningless experience and who knows how long it would have taken for you to come back to me." He pushed himself up, sitting so he was straddling Dean's waist, making sure the Incubus couldn't look any direction but at him. "I wish you would have told me. I wish that I'd have known," he whispered, and Dean swallowed again, guiltily, reaching a hand up and smoothing his thumb over the back of Castiel's hand, over his heart, his eyes getting bright and wet. "But the past is the past, and we could not see the future then." Castiel smiled a little more widely. "I have you now, and I'm not letting you go again. Not without one hell of a fight."

He leaned down, slanting his lips over Dean's again, and the younger man mewled into the kiss, rolling his body between Castiel's legs, desire and hunger flaring up inside of him. Castiel responded with a low growl of his own, sensing the change of mood in the air, and he moved so he was instead sitting on Dean's thighs, pinning the older creature down beneath him with his superhuman strength. Dean whined at the handling but didn't protest it, and Castiel could see his eyes flash darker at the action.

He smiled, dipping his head to nuzzle at the exposed line of Dean's throat, and bit down gently at the tendon when Dean threw his head back and whined again, gasping hard. Castiel moved his head along Dean's collarbone, inhaling his mate's scent – that addictive, alluring scent of sex and forests – and growled when he reached Dean's shoulder, able to trace the raised line of Dean's scar but unable to see it.

He let Dean's arms go. "Shirts off," he demanded, eyes flashing when Dean eagerly began to comply. "I want to see."

Dean sat up, shedding his clothing eagerly and baring his tanned skin to Castiel's greedy eyes. Immediately the vampire's hand slotted into place over Dean's shoulder, and both of them moaned, eyes falling closed at the electric heat of their connection. Dean bucked his hips up, holding Castiel steady so that he'd have something to grind against and the vampire let him, resting his forehead on Dean's shoulder, breathing heavily and inhaling the scent of sweat and blood.

"Let's eat in," Dean purred into his ear, and Castiel shivered, grinning despite himself. Dean was smirking too when he pulled away, and Castiel knotted his hand in the back of Dean's soft, light hair and dragged him into another kiss, his other hand sliding away from the mark as he easily took control of their bodies, and he began manhandling Dean until the Incubus was on his stomach on the chair, mewling so prettily underneath Castiel, his head still turned as Castiel leaned over him to keep the rough, messy kiss up as he rocked against his mate's jean-clad ass.

"I think I can do that," Castiel replied when he let Dean breathe, nipping at the back of Dean's neck as his hands went to work underneath Dean, at the button and zipper of his jeans, and he undid them quickly, pulling them down just enough so that Castiel could find Dean's hole with his fingers and began to push in with one, up to the first knuckle, and Dean winced, hissing at the sudden, almost unexpected intrusion. He was still loose and a little wet from their romp together last night but even so the first touch always seemed like a foreign, new thing. Dean mewled and turned his head, seeking out Castiel's lips, wanting reassurance that his mate was still there and Castiel met him, taking Dean's chin in his hand so his mate didn't have to strain his neck so much, and licked into his mouth slowly, hooking his finger inside of Dean on the exit so the tip and nail scraped along his prostate. Dean jerked, clenching tightly, and made a low, desperate sound into Castiel's mouth.

_"Cas_," he whined, when the vampire began to wiggle in another finger next to his first, stretching Dean open some more, going slowly because the breach was dry. Dean rolled his hips, trying to get Castiel to go in deeper but the vampire refused, and Dean's silver-green eyes flared open. "_Please,_ Cas."

"I won't hurt you," Castiel replied, half-reassurance, half-warning. It wasn't that he was trying to calm Dean down, but rather saying that he was being so slow because he refused to hurt Dean by taking him too dry. Besides, he was meant to be feeding Dean and making Dean bleed wouldn't be a good way to feed him.

"Won't hurt me," Dean repeated, his words slurring together as Castiel began to press against that spot inside of him mercilessly, and he mewled again, back arching like a desperate she-cat in heat, his back rubbing against Castiel's chest, and the vampire was so hard it was hurting, but he was still determined to take his time. "Won't hurt me. Please, Cas, I'm ready. Hungry, Cas, ready, _please_."

"Shh." Castiel pet through his mate's hair, trying to reassure him. He always felt guilty, teasing Dean like this – it felt like he was deliberately taunting a starving man with food. But he also got off on how desperate and wanton Dean got for him, whether it was meal time or not. Dean's silver eyes suggested he was just getting hungry and desperate, so Castiel stretched him as much as he was able with his two fingers before he drew away from Dean's mouth and removed his fingers. He quickly undid his pants, freeing his hard cock and nothing else because he couldn't wait anymore, spitting on his palm and slicking himself up. "I'll always take care of you," he whispered into Dean's ear as he grabbed his hips and began to push in, slowly as he was able to because the going was still far too dry and Dean wasn't nearly stretched enough for his liking – his mate felt like a glove that was several sizes too small and burning hot. Castiel made a desperate, growling noise when he bottomed out inside of Dean, resting his forehead on the back of Dean's neck as his mate whimpered at the fullness and the burn of being stretched and filled so nicely.

He rolled his hips back again, wanting Castiel to go that little bit deeper, and gasped as the action caused Castiel's cock to brush against his prostate. "Oh, _fuck, _yes," Dean growled, digging his hands into the back of the chair and hauling himself up so he was on his knees, so that Castiel could fuck into him properly. Castiel gripped Dean's hips, adjusting for the change in position, and bit down lightly at the back of Dean's neck, anchoring himself there as he began to move his hips inside of his mate, fucking into Dean with smooth, precise strokes. "_Fuck, _yes, Cas – God_damn it_, yes! Harder, _please,_" he begged, words punching out of him because he couldn't drag enough air into his lungs to speak properly before it was driven out of him again by Castiel's powerful thrusts.

Castiel shifted the angle a little, snarling into Dean's neck, and _that was perfect_, _yes_. Dean tossed his head, baring more of his neck to Castiel, feeling like an animal getting mounted, completely surrendering control and it was amazing – _so good, yes, Cas, fuck, !_

Dean shuddered through his orgasm, coming untouched, his head hanging limply between his shoulders as he tried desperately to suck in air through his open, panting mouth. His body was slick with sweat and it was hard for Castiel to find purchase on him, and when Dean came, he clenched so tightly that it was difficult to even pull out – Castiel's orgasm was forced from him at the suffocating tightness and heat, and he groaned into the sweaty skin of his mate's neck, finally detaching himself from biting there and licking over the sore mark in apology.

Dean sighed, smiling when he felt Castiel's warm come flood his insides, already getting that heavy, sated feeling he always got after a good fuck, and he waited patiently for Castiel to come back to himself, the vampire breathing raggedly against his neck as he came down from his high. Dean carefully pushed away from the back of the chair, taking Castiel's weight onto his arms, and then his back as he dipped down to sprawl once more over the chair, letting out a contented sigh as Castiel settled over him and Dean pillowed his head on his folded arms, basking in the afterglow and the warmth of the afternoon sun.

After a few more moments, where the pair's breathing and hearts gradually slowed, Castiel shifted, slipping out of Dean with a wet sound, and plastered himself over his mate, nuzzling into the back of Dean's neck. Dean smiled lazily, totally ready to sleep off his food coma, and turned to nose along the line of Castiel's temple, snuffling when his hair tickled Dean's nose.

"Well," Castiel said after a moment, running his hand over Dean's flank, pulling them both so Dean was laying on his side in front of Castiel, back to chest, and the Incubus busied himself by swirling his index finger in his own come, getting as much as he could on his fingers and then licking it off, replacing the energy he'd spent in the sex as he waited for Castiel to finish whatever it was he was saying.

However, the vampire just trailed off, watching his mate lick his fingers clean, and Dean chuckled, turning his head and pillowing it on his forearm so he could see Castiel out of the corner of his eye. "How are the changelings?" Dean asked, letting out a loose, relaxed sigh, and Castiel plastered himself closer, unable to resist Dean's contagious contentment. "I know Gary was having some trouble."

"Hmm," Castiel replied noncommittally, rubbing his hand over the bare skin of Dean's stomach as he had a habit to do when they were laying together like this, and Dean relaxed into the gentle, loving touch. "He's been doing much better. Your sessions with him are helping a lot."

Dean smiled. "I'm glad," he replied. He'd been working with Castiel's newest Children, helping to soothe the fire of their hunger with his own energies. It provided the combined service of lessening their hunger – which allowed Castiel to remain next to such a small food source without attracting attention – and decrease their dependency on Castiel's own blood in the beginning. It made them independent and stronger faster, and shared the loyalty between Castiel and Dean which, Castiel thought, provided a more stable environment than just the dictatorship his Family had been before. The older Children would always see Castiel as their Alpha, but Castiel's creator was Dean, and the younger generation recognized them as both their parents. Castiel was their father, and Dean their mother.

"Have you ever thought about creating new Children, Dean?" Castiel whispered, causing Dean to tense a little, and turn to look at the vampire.

Dean's brow was furrowed in confusion. "Like…you mean your Children kind of Children? Creating them?" Castiel nodded, cocking his head to one side when Dean frowned more, shaking his head vehemently. "No. I wouldn't even know how – I don't know how I managed to make you and I wouldn't want to. I mean…I'm glad you made it, and I love you and I couldn't imagine if you'd remained human, but I wouldn't wish our position on other people." Dean blinked again, looking away, and took a deep breath. "What we are…it's not natural."

Castiel pursed his lips, conceding the point even if he didn't quite understand – every species wants to continue. Even those that technically are barely aware of their existence. He sighed, settling back down and continuing to pet over Dean's stomach and chest, dozing in the sun.

Then, Dean spoke again; "I wouldn't mind having…actual children, though," he whispered after a while – the sun was just beginning to set over the mountains and Castiel stirred sleepily, amazed that he'd managed to drift off for that long.

Dean rolled over so they were facing each other and Castiel moved to give him room, shifting back so they could see each other properly. Dean bit his lip, a nervous smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He looked so young and innocent, like when he and Castiel had first met in this life, and Castiel couldn't resist brushing a soft kiss over his mate's forehead. Dean's eyes fluttered closed, lashes kissing the high, rosy rise of his cheeks, and Castiel found himself smiling for no reason at all.

"What…what do you think about that?" Dean asked, shyly, biting his lower lip again and really, it certainly wasn't _Castiel's _fault that he was so distracted. He brushed his thumb over Dean's slightly swollen lower lip, waiting for his brain to catch up with itself.

"Like…adopt?" Castiel hazarded, unsure what Dean was actually suggesting.

The Incubus sighed lightly, looking away from Castiel, his blush growing darker, and now Castiel was very curious as to what his mate meant. They were both very decidedly male and Castiel didn't know of any alterations Dean might be able to make to a body to produce children. Unless… "Are you proposing a surrogate?" Again, Dean shook his head. "Then what, Dean?"

"Well…" Dean sighed, shifting again, while Castiel watched his mate's face curiously. It was obvious that this wasn't coming from nowhere; that Dean wasn't just suggesting this on a whim, and it was something where he wasn't quite sure of the reception of it. As Castiel watched, Dean slowly moved his hand down to rub against his own belly. "I mean, what is creating a child? It's essentially storing energy, right? I…I mean, maybe we could…try?"

Castiel blinked. "Like, right now?"

"No, no!" Dean replied quickly, placing his hand on Castiel's chest, blushing even more, if that were possible. He smiled a little, his eyes bright with pleasure that Castiel hadn't rejected his idea outright. "I mean…I know I'm old, but this body feels young, and I still feel…untried –" He blushed again and Castiel smiled, "- when you touch me, and…I don't think I'd be well-equipped for a baby yet, but maybe…eventually, one day…maybe we could try?" His voice went soft towards the end, quiet with hope and with a little bit of fear. His eyes flashed to Castiel's face then away again.

A slow smile spread across Castiel's face as he looked at his mate, still stroking a hand over Dean's face, but the silence was obviously taken for rejection for Dean's expression fell and he scooted away a little. "You don't have to answer right away," he said, looking at Castiel's chest, avoiding eye contact. "I mean, it's a big issue and I understand if -."

"Dean," Castiel purred, moving his hand to the back of Dean's head, threading his fingers gently through his mate's hair. Dean let out a large breath, closing his eyes and leaning slightly towards Castiel, even more so when the vampire tugged him closer. "I would be _honored_ to be the father of your children," he whispered, resting his forehead against Dean's, smiling a little when Dean's eyes flew open, meeting his mate's gaze with surprise and wonder. "Nothing would bring me greater joy than to create life with you." A slow smile began to spread over Dean's face, and Castiel chuckled. "Did you think I would say 'No'?"

Dean blushed a little more. "I just…I don't know," he hedged, toying absently with the buttons of Castiel's shirt, and the vampire chuckled.

"I love you, Dean, and I want you to be happy."

Dean frowned. "Will it make _you_ happy, though?" he asked, finally meeting his mate's eyes again, concerned and still a little wary. Castiel leaned down and nuzzled into Dean's mouth, stealing a light kiss because honestly, Dean was still so adorable, still so innocent and _young_ even though he was technically older than Castiel, at least in spirit.

"I've never thought it would be an option," he replied, still smiling gently. "But yes. To see you swollen with my child, and then to have a youth – a baby – something that is both you and me…" He smiled more widely, moving one hand down to tease lightly over Dean's flat stomach. "Yes, I think I would like that very much."

Dean's smile was blinding.

"But not yet," Castiel whispered, brushing his fingertips up Dean's chest, and the Incubus' breath hitched, his eyes widening and darkening a little. "We will wait until you are ready – I refuse to make you feel rushed about this."

"But you want to," Dean said, because he had to be sure. He didn't want this to be a snap decision that Castiel would later regret – Dean was sure he wanted a baby. He was born to create and sustain life, but if Castiel didn't want it then Dean wouldn't do it. Simple as.

Castiel smiled, wrapping his arms around his mate, pulling him closer. "Of course," he replied, nuzzling into Dean's mouth again, and Dean smiled, opening up sweetly to the gentle pressure of Castiel's tongue, leaning back submissively when the vampire easily took control, mapping out Dean's mouth and still able to taste the salt of Dean's come lingering inside. Dean mewled when Castiel's tongue dragged over the roof of his mouth – a sensitive spot for him – and the vampire's fingers curled around the back of his neck, trapping him in the most delicious way.

_"Cas_," he whispered, desire making him breathless as he clutched at his mate, fingers digging into Castiel's clothing and Dean frowned, making a dissatisfied noise. "Get these off."

Castiel laughed, and sat up so Dean could help him undress, and the two of them didn't leave the patio until the sun was well into bed and Dean was shivering with cold.

* * *

"Hello?" Gabriel asked, picking up the phone in his study and frowning when he heard labored breathing on the other end. Immediately he sat up, at attention. "Who is this?"

"Boris," came the reply, and Gabriel's eyes widened, hearing the voice of one of Castiel's older children – an Alpha himself, Boris lived in Illinois and was quite successful in his attempts at furthering Castiel's line, able to capture and change many younger vampires from his ingenious use of modern pop culture. Gabriel had never been a fan himself but he was a fan of results, and Boris' were impressive. "I've heard rumors of a meeting, Beta," he said, and Gabriel stood.

"A meeting?" he repeated, the demand to clarify clear in his voice.

"In Atlanta – the Alphas are meeting, and word has it that the vampires are not invited." Boris' voice was low with meaning and Gabriel snarled into the phone, baring his teeth in distaste at what this could mean – the last time something like this happened, minotaurs and centaurs had ceased to exist, and the Laws had been established.

"Is your source reliable?"

"Claudia heard it from a wolf," Boris replied, and to Gabriel that was confirmation enough, for the vampires didn't have allies, per say, but they only had one enemy worth mentioning. Werewolves. "I thought I should report it, Beta."

"Yes," Gabriel replied softly, eyes far away. "You did well." Then, he hung up, and went to find his Alpha.

* * *

Gabriel found Castiel in his private quarters, reading a book and carding a hand through his dozing mate's hair. From Dean's heart rate and breathing Gabriel could tell he was asleep, but the creature slept very lightly and even the lowest sound could wake him. He rapped twice on the door very softly, and Castiel's blue eyes flashed up over his book.

"I have news," Gabriel stated softly. Castiel raised a brow. "It is a private matter." Again, Castiel's expression showed his opinion on _that _statement, but he relented, setting his book down and placing a light kiss to Dean's temple before moving off the bed. Gabriel couldn't help smile – his brother had calmed and relaxed significantly since the reunion and Gabriel was happy for his little brother, glad that he had found peace inside himself once again. He didn't want to remember the years that had followed Dean's death, and he didn't want to think about what would happen if they were repeated.

"What is it?" Castiel asked, heading into the room that neighbored his bedroom and closing the door behind him. He turned so he could see Gabriel's face.

The Second vampire fidgeted nervously, looking down, then back up with a guarded expression. "The Alphas are meeting," he stated without preamble, and Castiel's eyes narrowed. "Without our knowledge. Boris called little over an hour ago – said he heard it from Claudia who heard it from a wolf."

Castiel's eyes narrowed further. "Sam," he stated plainly. Gabriel nodded. Castiel sighed, running a hand through his hair; "Very well, if that arrogant pup wishes to trifle with me again, let him try. He will find I am not something to be struck at three times."

"If I may, Alpha," Gabriel said, reaching forward and taking a hold of Castiel's arm before his brother could pull away, and he let sincerity and concern shine in his normally unexpressive hazel eyes. "Perhaps I should go – you are needed here, with the changelings and you have a mate now that you need to take care of – things that I could not guarantee would be safe in your absence. Plus, this may be a trap for you and none of us want to lose you."

"What do you suggest?" Castiel replied coolly, regarding his brother. "I will not be blind to this meeting."

"Let _me_ go, Castiel," Gabriel replied, placing his free hand over his heart, stepping closer to his brother so the vampires were standing almost against each other. Absently Castiel carded his free hand through his big brother's hair – a habit he would probably never be rid of. "If all is well, then we will fear nothing. But if something does go wrong, we will not take as big of a hit."

The Alpha vampire cocked his head to one side, pondering it, and then Gabriel pulled a dirty move; "Think of your mate, Castiel. He would be devastated if you were wounded or killed and he hadn't been able to stop it."

Castiel's eyes narrowed, but he nodded, pursing his lips and using his hold to pull Gabriel closer to him, placing a light kiss on his brother's forehead. "Very well. Go with my blessing. But please, Gabriel, for God's sake, be careful."

Gabriel smiled when they pulled away from each other, exchanging freedom of their arms. "Yes, sir."

* * *

When Castiel rejoined his mate, Dean was awake. "Cas?" he asked, stirring sleepily, turning over to look at the vampire as Castiel slid into bed beside him.

"Yes, Dean?"

Dean frowned and made a worried sound, eyes dark in concern. "Gabriel's gone," he whispered, no longer able to sense the steadying presence on the compound – Gabriel had had to leave immediately and had made all the preparations necessary before even coming to Castiel. It was like he knew he would be sent instead. Without being able to sense him, to feel the glowing ball of his energy, Dean felt off-balance, like there was something that should be there but wasn't. He shifted a little in bed, moving so his head was pillowed on Castiel's shoulder. "Where's he gone?"

"To Atlanta," Castiel replied, stroking a soothing hand through Dean's hair and waiting until his mate relaxed against him. "There is a meeting going on there that I was not invited to, and I should like to know why."

"Why aren't you going?"

"Gabriel thought it would be more prudent that I stay." Dean chuffed out a laugh. "Dean, can I ask you something?" The Incubus 'hmm'ed. "Are you the Alpha of your kind?"

Dean blinked, and Castiel could feel the movement of his lashes against his skin, before he raised his head to meet Castiel's eyes. "I…don't know," he replied, shrugging as though it didn't concern him. And Castiel had a fleeting thought that it probably didn't – Incubi weren't wired like other supernatural creatures. They just didn't _care_. They didn't need land or blood, not really. They only needed life and movement and there would always be that, no matter which race was dominant. "I think I am the creator of many races, but not my own. Aren't Alphas meant to be psychically aware of all their children?"

"All the immediate ones, yes," Castiel replied, brushing a thumb over Dean's cheek. "And you don't feel…any of them?"

"I'm aware of energy, Cas," Dean replied tiredly, resting his head on Castiel's shoulder again, throwing an arm around the vampire's waist. "That means I'm aware of everything. If that makes me the Alpha of the Earth, then fine, but I doubt it." Dean chuckled dryly. "I don't remember being 'created'. I think I just _was_, and I think that's what others of my kind will tell you too. Some are born human, werewolf, ghoul or Fey or Djinni…I was born as an Incubus."

There was a long pause as Castiel pondered over what Dean had said, before the creature yawned. "If you meant to ask as some sort of ulterior dig for answers such as if _I _should be invited to this meeting…" Dean grinned and Castiel smiled a little sheepishly. "Then I'm sorry that I cannot answer. I was not invited and I don't want to be invited."

"You think you are above such things?" Castiel asked with a spark of amusement in his voice and his eyes.

Dean sighed, rolling over, arching his back until it popped, and then he resettled on his other side, his back to Castiel's chest when the vampire rolled to cradle him from behind. "Let the races have their skirmishes. I know who will win."

"Who?" Castiel asked curiously.

Dean smiled, closing his eyes. "Ah, but that would spoil the surprise."

* * *

"Vampires are vermin! They multiply by poisoning innocents with their Goddamn disease! They are a plague and a pestilence and we would be better off rid of them."

The meeting was interrupted by Gabriel slamming the doors open and sauntering inside. "Can't we all just get along?" he asked, grinning widely at the assembled Alphas. They were arranged in a horseshoe, facing the door and, in the middle of the horseshoe, Gabriel recognized the scent of Claudia – one of the creators. His face twisted into a momentary scowl before he forced the smile back. "Sam," he said, greeting the werewolf, who was glaring at him with murderous intent, and Gabriel's eyes tracked around the room, noting that practically every race was present, before his gaze went back to Sam. "Guess our invitation got lost in the mail."

"We have no need for your kind here," Sam spat, straightening up to his full height, and Gabriel raised a brow. "Where is your Alpha, anyway? Didn't he have the balls to come himself?"

"I had the most frequent flyer miles," came Gabriel's snappy reply. The vampire in the middle of the horseshoe was tied to a chair, bound tightly with a bag over her head. The air reeked of Dead Man's Blood and Gabriel wrinkled his nose a little. "Please, don't let my arrival interrupt," he continued, spreading his arms wide in a welcoming gesture. "Continue. The topic sounded fascinating."

"You have no right to be here. You are not an Alpha."

"No," Gabriel replied, suddenly cold. "But I speak for one. Two, actually. Some of yours…" He looked around the horseshoe again, found the Alpha Fey, the Alpha Djinn, and the Alpha Siren all gathered. "Technically, some of these aren't Alphas either, for they were created by another." He smirked when the Siren hissed at him. "Wouldn't you agree?"

"That Alpha is dead," the Alpha Djinn replied, her markings glowing faintly on her skin, her eyes a pale blue behind the pupil.

Gabriel shook his head. "Oh no he isn't." His gaze flashed to Sam. "But I guess you wouldn't know that."

"Silence!" the Alpha wolf growled, slamming his fist down on the table again. "Here, here is more proof! Vampires are dirty, and evil, and ought to be eradicated immediately." Gabriel raised an eyebrow. "They are essentially already dead! Their hearts don't beat and they feed on blood."

"Our hearts beat when necessary," Gabriel replied, still maintaining that deadly, calm-before-the-storm stillness. He took a step towards Sam, inside the horseshoe. The wolf growled in warning but Gabriel paid him no mind. "And yes, that is true – perhaps we are more a disease than a species – but if you start now, when will it end?" He turned and found the Alpha Ghoul, and gestured to him. "When will you decide that feeding on the dead is just as evil?" He gestured to the Alpha Djinn. "They feed on blood also – where is their punishment?"

"Be silent, Beta vampire," growled the Djinn, her eyes glowing brighter.

"I will not!" Gabriel replied, baring his lips in a snarl and taking another step forward. "My friends," he said, gesturing to those Alphas gathered, "you are treading down a very, very slippery slope. If you follow this man," he pointed to Sam, "without question, without thinking, then where will it end? When will he decide that any blood drinking is wrong? When will he decide that any kind of pheromone or poison is wrong? When he turns on your own breed, you will wish that you had someone to fight for you. Your kinds are weak and small – Sam's dominates. We _know _this." He turned back towards the Alpha werewolf, snarling. "We fear him for it. But if you give him an inch, he will destroy you all."

"…Nonsense," the Alpha Siren murmured after a long silence, and around him the other Alphas began to nod. "This will not happen. We will stand with each other and on one thing we all agree." He fixed Gabriel with a look. "Your kind must be eradicated."

Gabriel straightened, scowling still at the assembled Alphas. "Very well," he stated, livid with anger but unwilling to show it, and turned to stalk back out of the room. Then, very suddenly, there was a sharp pain in his neck and then suddenly the feeling of being very heavy, and very tired. He gasped, falling to his knees, feeling the burn of something entering his body, poisoning him.

"Dead Man's Blood," came Sam's voice. The shadow of the Alpha werewolf loomed over him. "You didn't think that we would allow you to run back to your Alpha and contact him, did we?" Sam chuckled, leaning down, and one hand knotted in Gabriel's hair, the other on his shoulder. Gabriel winced at the feeling of pulling, pressure on his head and shoulder and the poison in his neck too much to fight against. "Oh no, Beta vampire…you really shouldn't have come here."

* * *

"Cas?" Dean's eyes widened, able to feel the distress from his mate all the way across the compound. He was up and running in a heartbeat, panic drenching the air he breathed, like the air was humid with it. He ignored the various vampires he passed, sprinting to get to Castiel as soon as possible.

He found Castiel in the back patio, on the floor, clawing at his throat like someone was choking him. Dean knelt down, holding his mate's shoulders with firm, steady pressure, and took Castiel's chin in hand. "Castiel? What's wrong?"

The vampire snarled at the touch, shoving Dean down onto the floor and away from him in defense. He was making the sounds of a wounded, cornered animal, backing away from Dean who was sprawled along the floor a few feet away from the force of the hit. When the Incubus got up and tried to comfort his mate again, he was met with the same treatment – this time Castiel landing a solid bite to his arm, shedding blood and Dean cried out in pain and alarm, backing away again.

"Castiel?" he asked in a softer voice, hating how his mate kept clawing at his throat, gasping like he was dying. He wondered, briefly, if Castiel was suddenly very thirsty, but if Castiel noticed the blood in the room, he didn't give a sign. His eyes were wide, blank and staring, fixed on the floor, the vampire curled in on himself as though expecting a blow.

"Gabriel," he finally gasped out, and Dean's eyes widened in realization. His brother in blood and his first Child, Gabriel was as close to Castiel as Dean was, if not closer. Something terrible must have happened.

"What happened, Cas?" Dean asked hesitantly, scooting forward just a little and ignoring the pain in his arm. He noticed the smell of tears in the air and realized with shock that Castiel was crying. "Cas?" he repeated, truly afraid now.

"He's…I can't…" Castiel whined, sounding like a dog that's just been shot but still struggling to breathe and live past the bullet in its chest. "I can't feel him anymore," he gasped out, holding his heart this time, squeezing his eyes tightly shut and more tears fell from underneath his closed lids. "He's _gone_."

Dean's eyes widened in realization – Gabriel was _gone_. As in _dead_. God… "They've killed him?" Dean asked, his voice a little more harsh than he'd meant it to be. He sounded – God, he sounded angry. He _was _angry. Sam had _no _right! No fucking right to -.

"Yes," Castiel replied, sounding broken with it. His body was shaking and Dean edged forward again, uncaring if Castiel would lash out at him once more, and tucked his head into his mate's neck, wrapping his arms around him. Castiel didn't push him away – he just cried silently, like a trembling statue for a very long time, occasionally letting Dean's thumb wipe the tears away so more could fall. "God, my brother…" He choked, holding his heart again and shook his head.

Dean growled, very softly, and hugged his mate tighter to his chest. "We will avenge him," he whispered, his words so sure and so harsh that, for a moment, Castiel started, blinking at his mate through blurry vision. He didn't understand – Dean was usually such a benign creature that Castiel had begun to think he wasn't even capable of leaping to violence at all.

"We?" he asked, for he knew he would – he'd lost someone he loved once and did nothing about it, but he stood by what he said – he would not be struck at a third time without consequences.

Dean nodded, standing, his eyes lit up with a fire that Castiel hadn't seen in those green irises before. "Animam pro anima," he whispered darkly, holding out a hand for Castiel to take. The vampire grasped it firmly and Dean hauled his mate up to his feet. "It was my children and my false mate that did this and I've grown to care for Gabriel. I will not stand for this murder."

"But…you believe in the balance."

Dean smiled a little. "And they took a life. I'm going to balance it out."

"_We_, Dean," Castiel replied firmly, taking his mate's face in his hand and resting their foreheads together, like he did to Gabriel. He blinked back fresh tears, knowing his brother was dead, that he would never be able to do this again – probably never see him again, if he didn't want to kid himself. He didn't _want _to find the body – it had probably been ripped to shreds and…_God_, Gabriel was _dead._

"We will find those who did this, Castiel," Dean said, with a certainty that made him suddenly older, so much older than Castiel, so much wiser and more powerful and frightening, and Castiel shivered at the threads of dominance in his mate's voice, the Child responding to its Alpha, the inherent power inside of Dean that was rising to the surface, seeing his mate's grief. "And, if all else fails, I will go into the Void after him and drag him back with me."

And Castiel, well, he couldn't help but smile a little at that. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that," he replied, brushing a hand through Dean's hair, unable to think of the consequences should Dean die and get lost again – he didn't _want _to think about it. Dean smiled a little and nuzzled into Castiel's mouth.

"Come," he said, taking Castiel's hand. "There are preparations to be made."

* * *

Since both Dean and Castiel were leaving, it made no sense to keep the changelings unattended. The Alpha vampire contacted his closest Child – Maria, down in Mexico – and arranged for them to be transported to her home for safe keeping until his return, or permanent lodgings in the event that he didn't come back.

They didn't want Dean and him to leave but they didn't have much of a choice. His house was empty within three days.

Dean stood at the threshold, watching as the last changeling was taken outside into the bright sun under protective visors and led into large vans with tinted windows. Maria nodded to him when she saw him, recognizing her Alpha's mate.

Castiel took a deep breath and laced his fingers with Dean's. "I hate having an empty house," he whispered, swallowing back his emotion because he had to be strong around his oldest Children – the threat of mutiny was very real, sometimes, even for connections so strong. Dean looked at his mate, concern shining in his eyes. "It's so quiet when it's empty."

"It won't be empty forever," Dean replied, making it sound like his most solemn vow, and Castiel smiled, a little bleakly, but smiling nonetheless. His eyes had gone flat and stormy, his grief for his brother dulled to a low, constantly throbbing pain.

"I'm used to having Gabriel by my side," he confessed, looking at Dean through the miles of their front entryway, squeezing his fingers lightly. Dean squeezed back. "He was always with me, always made me keep my head when I went too far or was too quick to vengeance or anger. Always kept me on the right path." Castiel looked out again to the retreating van license plates. "When you died, he kept me sane and alive."

"I am glad I took you to him," Dean replied, and Castiel smiled vaguely, remembering the day when Dean had dragged a half-dead Castiel to his brothers' home. Gabriel had taken him in without question, despite the fact that the harvest had been poor and there was barely enough to feed him, Castiel and Raphael, the only brother to still be living there at the time. He had moved out soon after. "I am honored to have known him in this life and in that one, and we will know him again, Castiel, just you wait."

The Alpha vampire blinked, and then swallowed. "I wish I could believe you," he shook his head, "but I don't," he confessed.

The Incubus sighed, leaning closer to his mate and resting his forehead against Castiel's neck, wrapping his other arm around Castiel and still squeezing his fingers lightly. "Whatever you need," he whispered, "I am here. Just tell me and I will do anything to make this better, if only a little." He pressed a hand against Castiel's heart, giving him some of his energy and his love – it settled like a warm weight in Castiel's chest, making breathing difficult for a moment.

"Come to bed with me," the vampire demanded softly, and Dean nodded, following when Castiel's hand turned guiding, pulling Dean towards their room. The Incubus sighed, melting submissively into the kiss his mate graced him with when their door was closed and Castiel had Dean pinned against it, hard, cold body melding perfectly into Dean's warmer one and pressing him against the door with enough force to crack the sturdy wood and make it groan.

Dean tilted his head to one side, baring his throat when Castiel placed his hand there, thumb lightly pressing at the dip of Dean's neck, and the Incubus swallowed, his body lax and completely trusting. He eagerly bucked his hips when Castiel nosed along the arching tendon in his neck, tongue snaking out to lick at the first gatherings of sweat and pheromones, and Dean shivered, eyes fluttering closed at the idea that Castiel might bite him – the vampire hadn't since their reunion, too afraid of taking too much energy from Dean – giving, always giving, never taking anymore. Dean kind of missed the feeling of Castiel's strong, sharp teeth sliding into his neck, dominating him so completely, in such a carnal way, and he mewled when Castiel nosed along his racing pulse, inhaling the scent of his blood deeply as he continued to lick and suck a mark onto Dean's skin.

"Cas," Dean whimpered, shivering again when Castiel exhaled on the damp skin, raising goose bumps. He fisted his hand in the thick, unruly hair at the back of Castiel's head. "Take. Drink. Let me sate you, _please_," he begged, breathing coming harder now in the face of his desire, of his _need _for Castiel to bite him.

"Mm," Castiel moaned, deliberating, toying with the idea as he kept licking at Dean's skin, laving his neck and letting his elongated teeth just drag teasingly over Dean's skin, the mockery of a bite, just held back. "I won't hurt you."

"Yes," Dean growled back, clawing at Castiel's shoulders, pulling Castiel closer between his spread legs. "I'm asking you to. _Please_, Cas, I want to feel your bite." Dean was pretty sure he was babbling, but it didn't matter – the silver sheen wasn't coming down over his eyes. He wasn't hungry – he just _wanted_. It was a rare occasion and he was determined to enjoy it. "You're sad, and you're angry, and though you'd never admit it, I know you blame me for this. _Take it out on me, Cas."_

The vampire growled. _"No."_

"Yes," Dean replied emphatically, tugging on Castiel's hair until the vampire had to rear his head back or risk losing a clump of it. Castiel's pupils were blown, his eyes almost black, and his breathing was labored. His second set of teeth were elongated and set over his original set. He had violence raging in his eyes and in his blood and Dean was just a few well-placed words and touches away from unleashing that violence.

And he knew it was cruel – knew he shouldn't – but he wanted Castiel to stop being sad, because he couldn't use _sad_. He needed _anger_. He shoved at Castiel's shoulders, pushing him towards the bed. "You're angry with me – I know enough about you to see that." Castiel snarled, his upper lip curling back, fists clenching and tightening a little. He backed away as Dean advanced. "You would have gone instead of Gabriel had I not been here – it's partly my fault he died and you know that and you hate me for it. You've just lost your _brother_, Cas." Castiel snarled again, less warning, more promise, his eyes flashing darkly at Dean as he stopped stepping back – held his ground, let Dean come closer. Dean softened the closer he got, knowing he was shaking, because Castiel looked _furious _and Dean braced himself for what was going to be a fantastically brutal night. "It's okay to be angry, Castiel. It's okay to want revenge."

Suddenly Dean was on the bed, pinned onto his back, Castiel hovering over him and holding him down. Dean tensed, fighting his instinct to flee or fight back, forced himself to relax when Castiel leaned down and pressed his teeth against Dean's neck. The delicate gallop of Dean's heart was right under that thin surface and, with no effort on his part, Castiel could sink his teeth in and drain his mate dry.

But… "You are lucky I have more self control than that, Dean," he said softly, hissing the name like a serpent. "And you are lucky that I don't truly blame you, or you would be blood spatter on the wall."

And not for a second did Dean think he was exaggerating.

Dean mewled, submissive once again, trembling when Castiel's hands landed on him and, with barely any effort at all, shred their clothes away until there was nothing but tanned, burning naked skin against colder, pale naked skin. Dean shuddered, eyes falling closed, tears building up at the corners of his eyes when Castiel's hands remained gentle, non-punishing, non-aggressive. Loving and soft and full of unspoken adoration.

"Dean…I won't hurt you," Castiel whispered against Dean's throat, half-admonishing like Dean was behaving like a child, trying to goad him on, and the Incubus sighed, swallowing past his guilt and self-loathing, hating that he had even thought trying to provoke Castiel to violence was a good idea. "I will never hurt you. Why do you want me to?"

"I blame myself," Dean answered honestly. "If I had been there, I could have saved him. If you had gone, you would be dead. I don't know how to fix this," he confessed, turning his face away from Castiel's searching gaze as the vampire grounded him with his steady weight, kissing along Dean's jaw and the corner of his mouth.

"I did not know you were so close to Gabriel," Castiel remarked.

Dean turned his head again, fixing Castiel with a look. "You are my Child," he replied, voice a rough tone from tears and hatred. "Do you think I can't feel your pain, that I didn't feel your grief when Gabriel's death struck you down?"

"You are guilty," Castiel said, with revelation in his tone, as he leaned down and placed a soft, chaste kiss to Dean's mouth. The creature mewled lightly and spread his legs, wanting Castiel to fall between them and the vampire didn't deny him – he pulled Dean closer and let their bodies rock together. "Is this why you want me to hurt you? Do you think being punished will help?"

"There's a Hell for a reason," Dean muttered in reply, and Castiel chuckled, deepening their kiss for a brief moment, petting through Dean's hair and then down his flank. His lips followed his hands, trailing down Dean's chest with light, feather-soft touches that Dean barely felt, but the creature's breath was coming faster nonetheless, as he propped himself up and looked at what Castiel was doing.

"I don't believe in God," Castiel said, turning his head to one side and nuzzling along the inside of Dean's thigh – Dean spread his legs a little wider in response. Castiel pressed his teeth against the smooth, pale skin and Dean tensed a little. "And we are not for Hell. Not anymore."

"Cas," Dean gasped, knotting his fingers in Castiel's hair when the vampire nuzzled into his groin, licking lightly along Dean's half-hard cock, and the Incubus stiffened a little, feeling himself start to swell under Castiel's ministrations. Castiel wrapped a hand around the base, holding Dean's cock upright, and licked a long stripe up the underside, and Dean whined, baring his teeth as he fell back onto the mattress. His throat still burned with restrained tears and he didn't feel he deserved the pleasure of Castiel's touch, but he lost himself in it anyway because tomorrow…tomorrow, he would face his guilt, and the guilt of his Children, and he would avenge his brother-in-law. His Child's first Child.

Castiel licked under the head, not daring to take Dean into his mouth because his teeth were still very much out and he didn't trust himself not to be a little too enthusiastic and accidentally cut Dean, so he satisfied himself with kittenish licks that Dean seemed to like, from the way he was shaking, and then Castiel leaned up, supporting himself with a hand by Dean's hip while the other continued to jack his mate off, and then he leaned down, finding the beginnings of smooth flesh where Dean's ribcage ended, and he sank his teeth into Dean's flank.

The Incubus yelped at the unexpected flash of pain, eyes widening and body jerking in response to it, and Castiel moaned at the iron-rich blood near his liver and kidneys, licking around the wound before he sank his teeth in further, letting blood well up around his mouth, barely swallowing any. He let it run tracks down Dean's heaving side and scooped the blood up into his palm, licking at the back edge of Dean's wound to encourage the blood to overflow into his hand. He smiled, resting his cheek against Dean's stomach as his mate whined but laid perfectly still beneath him, and inhaled the comforting scent of his mate's blood and sweat before he deemed to have gotten enough blood in his hand, and he leaned up again, kneeling between Dean's legs. His eyes flashed up to Dean's, waiting until they widened in understanding, and then Dean shifted, spreading again and relaxing as he realized Castiel's intentions.

His body opened graciously to Castiel's first finger, Dean taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly as Castiel pushed in, angling himself over his mate to get a taste at Dean's mouth. The Incubus mewled lightly, pupils blown at the scent of blood in the air and the sensation of Castiel's kiss and his clever, clever fingers. Within minutes Castiel had Dean breathless and whining, panting broken little pleas into Castiel's mouth, knotting his fingers desperately in his mate's soft hair and pulling Castiel down to him so their bodies could slide together.

"Gonna make me beg again?" he asked, throwing his head back when Castiel made his way up to three fingers inside of Dean, crooking them cruelly to strike at his mate's prostate, putting a firm, steady pressure on the gland, and Dean whined, baring teeth that were bloody around the edges from biting into his own lip. "Come on, Cas,_ really_?"

The vampire smirked, slanting his lips over Dean's because he loved the non-verbal begging just as much as Dean's wanton words, and he rocked his fingers further into Dean, spreading them as much as he could and Dean made a choked-off sound. The scent of blood was heavy and hanging in the air, cloying almost. "You ready for me?" he whispered against Dean's mouth, and the creature swallowed and nodded, looking up at Castiel through half-lidded eyes, and Dean bit his lip, throwing his head back again when Castiel removed his fingers and lined himself up. He didn't push in, though – he left Dean hanging there, body tense with anticipation. Castiel didn't move or speak again until Dean's eyes opened. "Do you still want me to hurt you?"

Dean's eyes narrowed, just briefly, and he swallowed again, relaxing his body as Castiel began to push. He closed his eyes and nodded when the head of Castiel's cock slipped past the first tight ring of muscle, and Castiel nodded too though Dean couldn't see him, and nuzzled into the exposed, golden strip of Dean's neck. "I love you," he whispered, before thrusting all the way in smoothly, ignoring how Dean's body clamped down on him in defense or the way his mate moaned in pain. He pet a hand down Dean's flank, shushing him quietly and soothing his shaking body, before starting up his rhythm.

One of Dean's hands moved down, digging his nails harshly into Castiel's spine as he clenched his jaw and held on for dear life as Castiel thrust into him, just losing himself in the sensation of getting fucked, and he gasped when he felt Castiel's teeth at his neck again. He closed his eyes, sighing out his breath, expecting it to just be another tease, another half-promise not carried out, and choked around his breath when he felt Castiel's teeth sink into his neck.

"Oh, God!" he yelled, clenching his fists and pressing them against Castiel's skin, bucking up into Castiel's body, and the bastard just laughed, lapping at the edges of his bite as he sank his teeth more firmly into Dean's neck, finding his artery because he planned on gorging himself tonight. Since Dean's discovery of his powers, the Incubus had…tasted different. Smelled different. He was _powerful_, now, so powerful, and Castiel could taste that like an exotic spice amongst the sex-and-forest flavor of Dean's blood.

Castiel moved his hands, plastering himself fully over his mate's young, responsive body, lifting Dean's hips and rocking into him in smooth, careful strokes that had Dean writhing underneath Castiel, grabbing onto him desperately, whimpering into the warmed skin of Castiel's neck.

"Taste divine, Dean," Castiel murmured when he pulled away from the siren song of Dean's blood, nuzzling along the edge of his bite and smearing blood all around his nose and chin. "Delicious. I could easily drain you dry and drink everything you had to offer." Dean shuddered at the words and the dark, wondering tone they were said in, his heart beating so hard and fast he feared it would leap right out of his chest. Castiel leaned back, sinking his teeth into the bite again so it wouldn't heal up so quickly and Dean shuddered.

They were silent after that, Castiel's teeth deep in Dean's neck and the vampire thrusting into his lover with measured, harsh strokes that Dean could feel in his throat. He didn't so much climb up and jump over the edge of his orgasm as he was dragged up and thrown into it. Dean locked up around Castiel as he came, moaning brokenly into the unbitten side of his mate's neck, eyes clenched tightly shut as he reveled in the sensation of Castiel draining him at the same time as the vampire filled him up – it was a dual feeling, being sated and drained at the same time and Dean was purring – he wasn't ashamed to admit it – under Castiel's touches, turned gentle again with the passing of their orgasms, exploring Dean's body as his teeth left Dean's neck and licked over the wound until it sealed.

Dean was breathing heavily, as was Castiel, both creatures lying together in stillness as they recovered, until; "If this doesn't work – if something happens…you have to promise that you won't wait."

Dean tensed at that, pushing at Castiel's head so that he could see his mate clearly. "What?" he asked, in a voice that was part confusion, part anxiety. "What are you talking about?" he asked, thumbing along the edge of a blood smear on Castiel's jaw.

"I mean…" Castiel paused, nuzzling into Dean's hand and placing a light bite there. He slipped out of Dean when he shifted onto his side and rolled them to face each other, and though Dean made a small sound of protest, he followed Castiel's manhandling. "That if I am lost…don't wait. I will find you, or I won't. If I can't, I'm not going to expect you to wait around for me." The vampire snorted – a bitter, self-hating sound. "I certainly didn't."

"That's different," Dean replied stubbornly. "You didn't know."

"But I'm _telling_ you that if I can't come back, then don't wait. And don't come looking for me."

Dean's eyes narrowed. "Why are you telling me this?" he asked, cocking his head to one side, voice low with suspicion. Castiel met his gaze unflinchingly. "Are you going to do something stupid?" Again, the vampire didn't blink and he didn't avert his gaze – he was trying to stare Dean down but he wasn't going to blatantly lie to his mate either. Dean's eyes widened in horrible realization. "…No."

"It's the only way," Castiel insisted, sitting up when Dean pushed himself away from the bed, pulling the remains of his clothes on – his jeans were whole enough to be decent. The vampire remained kneeling on the bed, watching as Dean ran his hands through his hair, pacing towards the large window that dominated Castiel's eastern wall, angled to watch the sunrise. "Dean, if I pulled this off -."

"You can't," Dean replied, turning around. "I won't let you."

Castiel raised an eyebrow, this time standing and advancing on his mate. "You would stop me?" he asked, his voice too rough to be a mere question, too soft to be an outright challenge. Dean swallowed.

"I might."

Dean's eyes flashed silver when Castiel took another step towards him, teeth bared in a silent, aggressive snarl, in the kind of way that let Castiel know he was bluffing – Dean would never hurt him. Not intentionally. "How else can we fix this?" Castiel demanded once he reached Dean, brushing his thumb along his mate's cheek, and Dean swallowed, clenching his jaw, averting his eyes.

"I could do it," he suggested softly.

Castiel shook his head vehemently. "No, I won't lose you again."

"And you think I want to?" Dean asked, looking back up, and Castiel was surprised to find his gorgeous green eyes shining with something that wasn't the silvery hunger. "You think I want to think about this at all? Castiel…you have _no _idea what the grave is like. What _crawling out of one_ feels like." Dean shuddered, looking away again and biting his lower lip. "You don't know what waits for things like us on the other side and you don't know how to navigate the country. It's not just wide open space, Castiel – he won't be waiting for you on a fucking park bench. It's…I imagine it's what Hell's alleyways look like. It's a _trial_ and you're going into it _untried_."

"And you think you know better?" Castiel snapped, a blatant challenge in his eyes now, and he smirked a little when Dean's eyes flashed silver in anger.

"At least I would know what the fuck I was doing," the Incubus answered coolly, trying to pull off Castiel's detachment and failing miserably – he would never have the poker face that the vampire had acquired. It had taken centuries for Castiel to perfect it. "At least I know where he might go. I know what to avoid. I know what I'm looking for when I'm trying to come back."

"Oh, of course" Castiel snapped, his tone sarcastic and biting, "because you've had such a great track record with that, right?"

The words were cruel and the look on Dean's face let Castiel know it. The creature looked like Castiel had just struck him. Dean swallowed, looking down and away – anywhere but Castiel's face – and his fingers flexed as though he was resisting the urge to punch Castiel. Only then did the vampire notice that the scent of fresh blood in the room hadn't faded.

"Are you still bleeding?" he asked, stepping forward and Dean took a step back to compensate, growling a little in warning.

"You took a lot. But I'm fine," he said defensively, hissing once again when Castiel made another move to touch him. "Don't fucking touch me."

"Dean -."

"No!" The creature slashed a hand through the air, his eyes flashing silver in hunger and anger. "If you're allowed to be reckless and risk your life, then so am I. I'm not hungry – I'm _fine!_ Leave well enough the fuck alone, Castiel."

"Dean, don't be foolish."

"Don't be foolish?" Dean repeated, looking at Castiel with a disbelieving expression, his eyes shining. "You're telling _me _not to be foolish? I'm sorry – who was it who decided that going against the Alpha werewolf's pack with only a dozen vampires was a good idea? Who decided to change me, not knowing what I was, risking us all? Who was it that sent _Gabriel_ instead of the Alpha vampire, as it should have been? It sure as hell wasn't _me_."

He'd gone too far the moment the words left his mouth, and he knew that, and he swallowed, taking another step back and looking down, immediately submitting when Castiel advanced on him – it was strange, knowing that Dean was technically his creator and Castiel should be subservient, but Dean was just too benign and deferent to stand up to Castiel for long. Not unless he was really pissed off, more creature than man.

The vampire pressed up against his neck, nosing along the tendon of Dean's exposed throat. "Do you question my methods?" he asked, his voice with a deadly purr on the tail end of it that spoke of storms and violence barely held back. Dean swallowed and closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, turning his head to he could feel Castiel's cheek against his jaw, and made himself relax, because Castiel wouldn't do anything. Dean had to believe that the vampire had way more self-control than Dean did because he'd certainly proved it enough times. "I just…I can't think about you dying, Cas." He swallowed, his throat burning with tears just thinking about it. "It hurts so much, thinking that you could die and be lost in that Void and I would never see you again. You could search for a thousand years and still not find the road to bring yourself back and I would be waiting, feeling the pain you felt, and I don't want to think about it." He wrapped his arms around Castiel, glad when Castiel didn't push him away and let Dean hold him close, his own arms going around Dean's waist. "Promise me, Cas. Promise me that you won't intentionally get yourself hurt. We can fix this without such drastic measures."

"Dean…" Castiel sighed out his mate's name, sounding pained, and shook his head. "I can't make that promise. He's my big brother."

"Then lie," the Incubus demanded, his hold tightening. "You told me you're a liar. Lie to me, Cas."

The vampire closed his eyes, exhaling onto his mate's neck, and Dean shivered, burying his face on the bitten side of Castiel's neck while Castiel brushed a hand over his shoulder. "Okay, my beloved…I promise."

* * *

Castiel felt Claudia's death the next day, but he didn't tell Dean about it. He could read in his creator's eyes, though, knowing Dean felt his grief, but the vampire remained stoic, because after the loss of his big brother, he didn't think anything else could hurt more than that. He'd been numbed and he didn't know what was happening. Dean, however, seemed much better at finding people than he was – that had always been Gabriel's job.

"Boris, catch me up, what's been happening?" he asked into the phone when Dean silently handed it to him, mouthing out his Child's name. It felt good to hear the voice of one of his immediate Children again, unused to the lonely feeling that their absence gifted him with. "Do you know what's going on?"

"Attacks, Alpha, on all the Covens. Worldwide – other creatures are rising up against us and wiping us out. Already I've lost several."

Castiel nodded, his lips thinning out in a line. "I will kill whoever harms a single one of us. This will not be stood for."

"Do you want us to stand with you, Alpha?"

"No," Castiel replied, eyes flashing to his mate, who was doing his best to pretend he wasn't listening in keenly. "No, this will be covert. They need to strike the higher-ups first, and they will go after me, and my Children, you included. You are to hole yourself and your Coven up as tightly and as well guarded as you can and wait for further instructions."

"Yes, Alpha."

"Spread the word."

"Yes, Alpha."

Castiel hung up, taking a deep breath and sighing before he ran a hand through his hair. Dean stepped towards him and soon the vampire felt his mate's body heat at his shoulder, and Dean's gentle touch on the back of his neck, kneading the tense muscles. The vampire allowed himself to indulge for a few moments, before he sighed and stood up, taking Dean's hand in his own and pulling his mate close. "Where do we go first?" he whispered into Dean's hair.

Dean closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and concentrating – it had been a long time since he'd tried to contact or had even been aware of any member of his immediate family – any of his Children. Luckily he had never had that much wanderlust and had only changed creatures that were at home in the United States (or what became the United States, as it hadn't been when he'd first existed).

He almost smiled when he found one – a bright spark of life and energy that looked almost like his own. "Vegas," he said, opening his eyes again and looking at his mate, brushing a hand over the side of his face. "Where everything is bought and sold."

Castiel's brow furrowed. "Which child of yours is there?"

"Nick. The Siren," Dean said, moving away, and Castiel nodded, following his mate out towards Dean's already-packed car – he'd gone and picked it up after realizing who he was, since his father was killed (Castiel did feel a little bad about that) and he wasn't going to leave her behind to gather dust. The machine was beautiful and Castiel let an appreciative hand run over her hood before he slid into the car, wanting to avoid the bright sun's rays. "Sirens are tough SOB's. Never heard of one dying. Don't know how to kill them or hurt them."

"We'll find out," Castiel said with a dark certainty, and Dean didn't say anything more while he started the engine and pulled away from Castiel's estate, out towards Death Valley, Nevada, and Las Vegas.

* * *

The car was silent for a long while, something that Dean couldn't stand. Whenever a car had been silent in his recent life, it had meant someone had died or someone was about to die. Though the circumstances were fitting, it still grated on Dean's nerves the wrong way. As a creature of life and energy, he didn't like thinking about death.

"Cas," he said eventually, to break the silence, and didn't continue until he could feel his mate's gaze on the side of his face, "why would…I mean, you said to Boris that they'll strike at the higher-ups. Why do you think that?" His voice was low with worry and he didn't want to meet Castiel's eyes.

The vampire was silent for a moment longer before he sighed, fixing his gaze out of the windshield again. "It's the fastest way to kill us all. If a creator dies, then all the Children he or she has bitten cease to exist. They either become human again or, if they are old enough, turn to dust."

Dean's eyes widened. "But…your changelings…"

"Most of them were mine. Gabriel hardly changes anyone anymore…" Castiel swallowed after a moment, overwhelmed with grief at the mention of his late brother. He refused to think of Gabriel as dead…he was just out of commission for a while. "All of Gabriel's and Claudia's changelings will be human or dead now, I imagine."

Dean didn't like the careful, aloof tone the Alpha vampire was trying to take on. "So…wait…if you die, then vampires will cease to exist at all?" he asked, his fingers tightening on the wheel. Castiel nodded and that was so _it._ Dean growled, slamming on the breaks and pulling off onto the side of the highway before he cut the engine and turned to face Castiel. "Then give me one good reason why I haven't buried you in a hole somewhere to go do this on my own."

Castiel's gaze was steady and unblinking, but there was an edge of darkness in them. "Why would you care?"

Dean gaped at Castiel. "Because that means people _die_, Cas," he said, almost breathless, unable to believe that Castiel couldn't see this. "If…if you _died_, and let's just not dwell on _that _for a moment…that means _all _your Children die too! Gabriel, Gary, Uriel, everyone in your compound and everyone you've ever bitten or anyone that your Children have ever bitten, they'll just cease to exist, just like that!" He snapped his fingers. "How could you have thought I'd not care about that?"

Castiel didn't say anything.

Dean subsided, like all the air had suddenly left his body. "You'll be giving Sam what he wants."

Castiel's eyes flashed. "I will have you to come back to. I can be recreated, as can my brother. We might be different – might be in different bodies, but we will come back, and we can always start again. Or, if not, we can be human, as we were meant to be."

"You're insane," Dean replied with wide, sad eyes, unable to comprehend what his mate was saying. "To kill thousands for the sake of one soul, Castiel…Gabriel wouldn't -."

Suddenly Castiel snarled and Dean let out a surprised sound when he found himself pinned against the driver's side door by his enraged mate, Castiel's hand around his neck and cutting off his breath, the other digging into his side with curved fingers and sharp nails for leverage. Castiel's heavy body held him down easily, the vampire using his weight to his advantage and Dean was too surprised to even think about struggling before Castiel's position made it impossible to do so.

Dean gasped, trying to draw in air around Castiel's hand, but it was difficult – he couldn't breathe. "Castiel," he grit out, trying to grip at Castiel's forearm and pry the vampire away from him. Castiel's eyes flashed darkly, his upper lip curling back and his second set of teeth elongating.

"Do not presume to know my brother better than I do, Dean," he snarled, squeezing a little tighter around Dean's throat and the creature gasped again, his heartbeat flying so nicely under Castiel's fingers. It would be so easy, to just clench down a little harder and totally cut off his air supply, and then bite down on his neck and take a deep, long draw of that oxygen-deficient blood…to sate himself and rid himself of this annoying little conscience at his side.

Castiel stopped himself, eyes widening when he found that Dean had stopped struggling, and he let go of Dean's neck, shoving himself to the other side of the car, unable to believe what he'd just done. Dean laid heaving, half-propped up against the door and rubbing his neck which had the beginnings of a bruise on it in the shape of Castiel's hand, and Dean winced, drawing in deep, desperate lungfuls of air and trying to calm his heart down to a reasonable rate. His eyes were flashing silver and Castiel swallowed, hating how he couldn't seem to make his teeth retract – he was in full-on predator mode and he couldn't seem to stop staring at Dean's neck. Whether he was staring at the vein or the bruise was totally debatable.

His eyes met his mate's and Castiel couldn't stay – he scrambled with the handle of his door and threw himself out into the desert sand of Death Valley, growled in pain when the sun beat down on him in full force. He shoved himself to his feet, needing to run, to get away from Dean until he was safe again – safe _to be around _again. Anger and hatred burned in his blood and the fact that Dean was the nearest thing to take it out on was very dangerous.

"Castiel! Get back in the car before you burn!" Castiel could hear another door opening and slamming shut, and then the crunch of boots on loose gravel and sand. He gave a low, warning growl, but didn't turn around. "Cas, please."

The vampire sighed, closing his eyes, unable to resist his mate's low, desperate, hopeless voice. He turned a little to see Dean hovering at the hood of his car, either too afraid or too smart to come closer. His eyes were shining silver, the bruise already starting to fade as he healed himself.

"You're hungry," Castiel whispered.

"You're angry," Dean countered, and Castiel flinched, unable to determine if that was a rejection or a simple statement of fact. He hung his head in shame, unable to meet his mate's trusting, loving eyes. Dean took another step closer and Castiel growled once more.

"Don't, Dean," he said, holding a hand out, palm out to Dean. "I don't know if I can be near you right now."

"Is it because of what I said?" Castiel's heart tore at the pain in his mate's voice. "Cas, if that's the case, I'm sorry – I shouldn't have spoken out of turn and I regret it."

"You regret it because I made you." Castiel's voice was harsh with self-loathing, but he was glad that this conversation was calming his bloodlust – his teeth were slowly starting to retract and the sun on his skin was starting to burn.

Dean bit his lower lip, looking down for a moment, then back up, and he stretched out his hand so his fingers just brushed the heel of Castiel's. "Please, Cas, get back in the car. I don't want you to burn out here and there's not civilization for miles. I won't say a word. I promise."

Fresh guilt flooded Castiel, and he looked up to the shining silver-green eyes of his mate, his fingers turning so he could brush them along Dean's and let them lace, and the creature gifted him with a small smile, tugging Castiel closer. "No, Dean. I shouldn't have lost my temper like that. He was your friend and you were close to him too."

"You're grieving," Dean whispered, forgiveness already in his tone as he rested his forehead against Castiel's, subtly guiding him towards the passenger side door and shielding him from the sun with his body.

"So are you," Castiel replied, sighing into Dean's neck and he nosed along the edge of the bruise, mewling in apology. Dean made a low sound in his chest, almost like a purr, and pet through Castiel's hair, and the gesture was so much like what Castiel used to do for his Children that the vampire couldn't help but go lax in his creator's arms. "I'm sorry, Dean."

"Stop that," Dean admonished quietly, pressing a kiss to Castiel's forehead, then his lips. "Just get in the car and stay with me." Castiel smiled sadly and obeyed, staying still until Dean got in the car with him, and then he slid across the bench seat, into his mate's arms.

Castiel hissed a little when Dean's hand pressed to the back of his neck, jerking slightly. "You've burned yourself," Dean said softly, pressing his hand over the burn, and Castiel closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of Dean's energy going to his damaged skin, healing it. Another on his face repaired the burns there. "What did you think you were going to do, going out in the sun?"

"I hurt you," Castiel said softly, closing his eyes and resting his head on Dean's shoulder, pressing his nose against Dean's pulse. "I couldn't control myself. I…I wanted to kill you, Dean – it would have been so easy and I wouldn't have thought twice about it until it was too late."

Dean was silent for a while, just holding Castiel to him and the vampire let himself take comfort from his mate's touch. "You wouldn't hurt me," Dean said, with such conviction that Castiel almost believed him.

"I remember you saying something like that about someone else."

The mood darkened in the car at the mention of Sam, but Dean pushed his anger aside, because Castiel wasn't the person it was directed at. He just 'hmm'ed quietly into his mate's hair, soaking up the warmth and vitality of Castiel's sun-warmed skin, feeding himself just a little by taking the energy from Castiel that wasn't being used. He felt a little guilty about it but he didn't want to feed himself any other way – Castiel needed the blood for himself and sex was a bit, well, inappropriate for the time and the mood. He'd pull over at a diner down the road if they came to one.

"Well," he said, trying to joke as he straightened, knowing they wanted to get to a hotel before night fell and they started wasting moonlight. "My dad always said that if you want to kill someone…that must mean you love them very much." He turned the key in his Impala again, hearing her come to life with a purr, and Castiel's mouth twisted a little at the bad line and the dangerous dependency it implied but said nothing as Dean pulled out into the road again, leaping up to one-hundred very quickly. "Besides, that might solve the problems even more quickly."

Castiel turned a questioning gaze to Dean.

"After all," the creature continued in explanation; "I created you, and Nick, and Pamela and Jo. Vampires, Sirens, Djinni and Fey. All gone, just like that." He swallowed, the thought settling sourly in his mouth, and he frowned, hating that thought more than he thought he would. He didn't want to think about any of his Children dying, although it had been a long time since he'd felt any real emotional attachment to any of them except Castiel. They all thought he was dead, most likely.

It would be a surprise when they found out he wasn't.

Castiel shook his head. "You've died before, Dean. We all still exist," he said, with a little amusement in his voice.

Dean 'hmm'ed, conceding the point. "But then why do your kinds die?"

Castiel shrugged. "Perhaps it is because we cannot evolve," he stated, the idea suddenly coming to him as he looked out at the passing, dry landscape. It hurt his eyes to look at so much brightness but he wasn't going to stop, because there was a raw, feral kind of beauty to the desert and Castiel enjoyed it more than the cities or suburbia. "Vampires are unchanging and unchangeable. Just because the first human died didn't mean the rest of the humans did as well, right? Humans, Incubi, Ghouls…things that are born, that are not created, they can evolve and live if the first one of them dies. It's not dependency – it's just survival of the fittest, but all vampires are as fit as each other, so perhaps we all must perish if the first one does."

Dean cocked his head to one side, considering the theory. "It's as good a point as any I can think of," Dean murmured, settling back onto the bench seat in an easy sprawl, only one hand resting on the wheel, the other on his leg.

Castiel watched him for a moment, his eyes taking in the tense set of Dean's shoulders and the tightness of his grip on his own thigh, and the way his knuckles were white along the steering wheel. "Dean," he began softly, "you know I plan to kill Sam, right? More than thousands will die or become human."

The creature swallowed, and then sighed. "Yes," he said, closing his eyes for a moment. "I know what you intend."

"Are you going to try and stop me?" Castiel's voice was low and tense, because he could see how thin Dean was being stretched – how far they both were being stretched – and he didn't want to get into a fight with his mate about this. Again. Dean was all about preserving life and really, Castiel could respect and support it, but _Sam_ had struck him first, repeatedly. He realized how childish his own argument sounded, but he wouldn't let his Children die just so that Sam's could live.

Dean had gone too long without answering. "Dean – are you going to try and stop me?" he repeated insistently.

The Incubus sighed, watching Castiel out of the corner of his silver-green eye, and then pressed his lips together and shook his head. "I don't know," he said honestly, and Castiel made a frustrated sound.

"Damn it, Dean, are you with me on this or against me?"

"Can't I be neutral?" Dean asked, sounding pained. "I can't promise on my actions on a theoretical event, Cas. I don't even know if what we're going to do will work – I don't know because I can't see the future. I can just…_Cas_, I think of all those people dying – on both sides – and I know that, if you lost, the toll would be smaller. But then what?" Dean continued before Castiel could respond; "Who will Sam strike at next? My other children? Ghouls? Demons? Hell, will he try and invade Heaven? Or will he cut all of us off at the source and kill me once and for all? The death toll when I think about that…" Dean shook his head. "It's unfathomable. And I don't want to think about it."

"You can't hide behind blissful ignorance forever."

Dean sighed, closing his eyes once more, and slowed the car down when the highway started branching into exits, going to Las Vegas and suburbs thereof. "I know," he replied in a whisper. "I know that. I guess I just wish all this could be resolved peacefully."

Castiel snorted in derision. "I think we've burned that bridge long ago."

Dean just 'hmm'ed, still lost in thought, and didn't offer any more conversation until they'd checked into a motel and left the car in the lot, ready to hunt down Dean's second Child.

* * *

Dean had never been anywhere as…flashy as Vegas was. He wasn't used to it – to all the people pressing down on him from all directions, to hear the sounds of their laughter and see the bright balls of energy that made up their bodies, and the lights, and the sounds. He couldn't imagine Castiel was doing much better, and from the way Castiel's eyes had darkened, and he kept swallowing like he was salivating far too much, Dean knew his mate must be hungry. Hell, he himself was starving – they would have to eat and regain their strength before going after Nick.

"If I feed, then you will be able to drink from me," Dean suggested when they'd checked into their room in the Venetian Hotel – top of the building in the Penthouse suite. It was like a fucking house inside of the hotel. Dean was unused to and uncomfortable around such extravagance, but with the price came the privacy – they weren't going to be disturbed up here. He grabbed a key card and pocketed it. "I'll be back in a little while, and then we can go."

Castiel's hand shot out and stopped his retreat. "We can order room service. You can stay here," the vampire said softly, but with a hard edge that had Dean frowning, wondering what was troubling his mate.

"What's wrong?" Dean asked, letting his arm go lax in Castiel's grip, in the hope that it would be let go. It wasn't. "Cas?"

"I…don't want you going out on your own," Castiel said slowly, almost sheepishly. "I saw how you kept looking about you – Vegas is over stimulating. It's the city of Sin, Dean. Your kind doesn't do well here."

"What the hell do you mean _my kind_?" Dean snapped, pulling his arm away, but Castiel didn't let go – no, he just let the momentum pull him closer until his body lined up right in front of Dean's. "I can handle myself, Cas, or do you not trust me?"

"You're very angry right now. It's not you I don't trust – it's others , and what they will get you to do."

Dean snarled, baring his teeth, his eyes glowing silver and he ripped his arm away. "Fuck you and your issues. I did just fine without you and I can do it again. I'm not the one being hunted for my head."

"We don't know that," Castiel replied, still just as softly, and that infuriated Dean – he felt like he was a child having a tantrum and Castiel was the long-suffering, ever-patient parent, but he had a _point _and this was _legitimate_ and _God, would Cas stop looking at him like that?_

"Stop it," Dean snapped.

Castiel blinked, cocking his head to one side. "What?"

"Stop…treating me like I'm a child! Stop acting like I'm just going to up and leave and then get myself killed or something! For God's sake, Cas, I'm going out for _food_. People go out for food all the time."

"People don't have the habits you do, Dean."

The vampire's words felt like a cold knife in Dean's spine and the creature recoiled from his mate, hissing again. "Fucking hell, Cas. Don't sugar-coat it. Just call me a slut to my face."

Castiel's eyes widened. "Dean, I didn't mean it like -."

"Yeah, fine," Dean replied, wiping a hand across his eyes. He felt so tired, so _hungry_. "Fine," he growled, this time with more heat, and he reached into his pocket and took out the key card and threw it on the side table that was next to the window, that allowed a beautiful view of the Vegas landscape. "You go. Go and feed from some innocent human while I sit here and wait for you to come back. Just make sure no one _gets you to do anything _to that pretty face." He pulled off his jacket and over-shirt and went over to the bed, sitting down on it and getting the remote to the flat screen that had been mounted on the opposite wall. "Don't take too long, okay? I'm fucking starving."

Castiel watched his mate with sad eyes. "Dean…" The creature fixed Castiel with a look as he approached, and Dean swallowed when the vampire brushed a hand down the side of his face, and leaned down to place a soft kiss on Dean's forehead. "Please know that I'm only doing this because I love you and I want to keep you safe."

Dean resisted the urge to roll his eyes – he wanted the same damn thing.

Castiel was gone with vampire speed. Dean barely heard the door close. He sighed and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger because _fuck_, he _hated _fighting with Castiel. He just couldn't seem to control his temper lately, and Castiel kept saying some really stupid shit that was getting him riled up. Dean sighed, rolling onto his side on the bed and throwing the remote away from him, determined to get some sleep because unlike his mate, he wasn't nocturnal, and he was fucking tired.

* * *

Dean started awake when he heard someone moving around in the room, and his heart leapt into overdrive, afraid that maybe someone had broken in while he'd slept. God, what if they'd been followed? What if someone knew that he and Cas were in Vegas and they'd tracked them down? What if -?

"Shh, Dean, it's just me," came Castiel's rough, low voice, and Dean shuddered out a relieved breath, panic turning to relief in his gut, and he rolled over just as the vampire crawled onto the bed to lie beside him. Castiel's face hovered over his, the vampire looking a lot better with his feeding – his cheeks were flushed and his skin was warm. His energy glowed bright and lively. Dean smiled just looking at it, noticing in an absent sort of way that Castiel's features were a little fuzzy – the silvery, infra-red filter was descending. He was _really _hungry.

Castiel's warm hand brushed over his face, then combed through his hair. "I've brought you some food, if you want it," Castiel murmured, noticing the bright silver in Dean's eyes and how his mate was whining very softly. Castiel jerked in surprise when he felt Dean's hand on his flank, turning so he could watch its progress up his side. Dean's other hand came to his face. "Dean?"

"Can't see you when my eyes are like this," Dean murmured, whisper-soft, stroking over Castiel's brow with his thumb, then his lips. The vampire's features relaxed when he realized, and he leaned down to nuzzle against Dean's neck, right as Dean's fingers found the bite on his own. Dean took a deep breath and let it out in a hum. "Good meal?"

Castiel nodded, and his hair tickled the side of Dean's face. "I didn't kill," he said, because he felt like he should – Dean shouldn't think of him as a killer. Castiel didn't kill people when he fed – at least, he didn't try to. Or he tried not to. Either way, most of his victims survived with only a very fuzzy memory of being attacked and hit, but nothing else.

Dean stroked down the side of his face, smiling. "I know," he whispered, sighing. "I shouldn't have snapped at you. I was just frustrated. It makes me angry to know that one of my own Children has supported the monster that killed your brother. It just…I just can't understand it." Dean chuckled softly. "To be honest, if I had caught a whiff of his scent, I may have just taken off after him without a second thought."

Castiel smiled as well. "I know," he said, stroking a hand through Dean's hair and nuzzling into his slow, relaxed pulse. "That's why I went."

"Fucker," Dean replied playfully, slapping at Castiel's shoulder. His speech was slurred a little and his eyelids were drooping – he was so hungry and tired and the initial irritation had worn off, leaving a bone-deep lethargy. Dean, at least, preferred the lethargy to the frantic, frenzied shark-like behavior that he had experienced after Sam had attacked him. He shivered at the memory. "Cas," he whined, tugging at his mate's hair, and the vampire lifted his head, making a questioning sound. "So _hungry._"

Castiel chuckled, placing a light kiss on Dean's lips. "Alright, beloved," he whispered, and Dean whined again when he felt Castiel leave the bed, but his mate was there seconds later, pulling Dean so he could sit up and lean against the headboard while Castiel placed the food in his lap. "I figured that you would want carbs, so I got everything I could think of – pizza, pasta, hamburgers. There's even some pancakes and various kinds of potatoes in these. And chocolate and pixie sticks and Gatorade." Dean chuckled at the combination and Castiel smiled sheepishly. "It's what Gabriel told me he found you with – it's quick energy, right?"

"Yeah, Cas," Dean replied, surprised that his mate had managed to do so well – this was exactly what he needed. He felt around, able to see flecks of the energy that each piece of food would gift him with. Unsurprisingly, the Gatorade and pixie sticks shone brightest. He handed them both to Castiel. "Empty the candy into the Gatorade and I'll drink that," he said, picking up a hamburger and quickly eating it while Castiel obeyed, and Dean washed it down with the concoction. It was overly sweet and had a grainy feel as the sugar hadn't actually started dissolving, but it was good enough because when Dean blinked again, he could see a little better.

He ended up drinking the entire bottle of red Gatorade (his favorite, although how Castiel knew that he wasn't sure) and the pixie sticks, and the three hamburgers Castiel had gotten, and even taken a good chunk out of some of the hash browns he'd managed to snag from somewhere. By the end of it Dean was feeling heavy and sated in the best kind of way, eyes closed as he worked the energy where he would need it most and kept the rest spread around himself, and then opened green eyes towards his mate.

"Ready to go?" Castiel asked, smiling a little in response to Dean's uplifted spirits.

Immediately Dean's thoughts turned darker again, but he nodded, taking a deep breath. He took Castiel's proffered hand and let the vampire haul him up from the bed, nosing along the bitten side of Castiel's neck for a moment in a brief, affectionate gesture, before heading over to get his jacket and keys. As an afterthought, he took a chocolate bar and stuffed it into his pocket. After all, it was going to be a long night, and who knew what could happen.

* * *

"You look nervous," Castiel noted as he walked with Dean down the crowded Vegas streets – it was Saturday night and every party was in full swing. Both creatures were glad they had fed before leaving otherwise this would be Hell.

Dean shot Castiel a small glance. "Am I that obvious?" he asked. Castiel smiled, and Dean shrugged, and sighed. "I guess I just…I mean…I feel like I'm the stepparent to my own children, you know? I basically made them and then left them to their own devices – they probably think I'm dead, which I guess works to our advantage now, but still." The creature sighed again, running a hand through his hair and then scratching the back of his head, shoulders hunched and head down. "They didn't need me to survive…it seems kind of arrogant now to think that I hold any authority over them."

"Dean." The creature stopped at his mate's tone. Castiel's eyes were very serious. "You are their creator," the vampire said, hushed and low so the passing humans wouldn't hear. "If you had left them for millions of years they would still submit to you, because you hold the power of their own lives over their heads, and the lives of their own creations. You can wipe them out with a flick of your wrist and they will know that, and obey."

"I don't want to be a tyrant, Cas," Dean said, frowning, sounding unsure of himself. His shoulders hunched a little more.

"You won't have to be," Castiel replied with a soft smile. "That's the beauty of it."

Dean snorted a little, his smile turned bitter. "It doesn't work with you," he argued, finally making eye contact, green clashing with the blue of his Child that acted so much like his master. Sure, Dean could feel the power in Castiel, and could easily take it away like he had with Sam, but Castiel was still very much dominant over Dean and Dean preferred it that way. He only seemed to be able to really make Castiel defer to him when he was very angry.

Castiel shook his head. "It does," he said knowingly, his tone so certain that Dean couldn't _not _believe him. "You're just not aware of it. But it does." The vampire reached across them, letting his fingertips drag over Dean's neck. "You're not the only one who feels new when we touch." He smiled when Dean blushed. "I just hide it better."

"You gotta tell me how to do that."

"Of course…Alpha," Castiel replied, purring the title out, and Dean shivered at it, a little decadent thrill running through him. He closed his eyes and bit his lip, swallowing back his reaction before he opened them again, and kept walking, Castiel following right on behind.

* * *

Dean and Castiel found Nick so easily that the Incubus had a sneaking suspicion that his Child had meant to be found.

But no – that was genuine fear and surprise on Nick's face. He went white as a sheet and fled from the crowded strip bar that Dean had followed his energy thread to, and he was fast, but he wasn't _vampire_ fast. Castiel had him up against the wall of the alleyway in the time it took for Dean to actually get there.

When Dean approached, there was a split second of nothingness – Castiel's anger was like a physical barrier pressing down on Nick, and Dean could see the creature trying to make himself smaller in the face of his Alpha's First. When Castiel bared his teeth, Nick shied away, as though trying to melt into the wall.

"Castiel," Dean snapped, stepping forward again and putting a hand on his shoulder. "Do not open your mouth. He can poison you that way. Let him go – if he runs you will catch him again quickly."

Castiel paused again, searching Nick's face, and then obeyed, stepped down and letting the other creature's feet touch ground again. The Siren gasped, holding his throat and Dean winced in sympathy, knowing how much that grip could hurt. He reached forward to touch Nick's face and the creature was either too shocked or too afraid to move away.

His eyes closed when they made contact. "Alpha," he whispered lowly, reopening his eyes and fixing them, wide and staring, on Dean's face. "You've changed."

Dean cocked his head to one side – he remembered. He had met Nick in his second body; a pretty, young female by the name of Meghan. Nick had been easy to lure and change – he'd been an immediate fix for an immediate problem, when Dean was wounded and needing feeding fast, before he realized what he'd done – that he'd forsaken his other, true lover, and taken his – or 'her' – own life.

"I've returned," Dean countered smoothly, stepping closer, and Nick tilted his head to one side, leaning into the warmth of his creator's touch. "You've grown well," he said, and he wasn't really sure what he was saying – the words were just coming from a deep, ancient, knowing part of himself and he channeled that and let it guide him, let his instincts lead the way. "Your family grows strong, if not large."

Nick smiled a little in a self-deprecating way. "Times are hard, Alpha," he replied. "I had more but many are dying."

"Many more will die," Dean said, his tone growing dark and Castiel growled a little in response to that darkness. Dean cast a surprised look his way – was this that connection Castiel had mentioned? God, he hoped not. "Nick, my Child, why would you allow the races to turn on each other? What were you thinking?"

Nick's brow furrowed in confusion. "The vampires?" he asked, half-surprised, half-disgusted. His eyes flashed silver and he looked at Castiel. "They are vermin."

"They are my Children, just like you are," Dean replied in the same dark tone, brushing a hand through Nick's hair and knotting it in the thick locks at the back. The creature whined a little, arching away from the brick wall and towards Dean, feeling the energy, and the power, thrumming through his Alpha, desperate to please his creator. Castiel, too, felt it, and gravitated closer. "Vampires, Fey, Djinni…Mine, all mine. And you would let them be destroyed by a true enemy." Dean's grip tightened and Nick hissed in pain. "Justify yourself."

"The werewolf threatened us," Nick replied in a gasp, his eyes wide with shock and fear as he had never seen his Alpha angry, and for all Dean was normally so benign, his wrath was terrifying. It was how humans must have felt when they gazed into the eye of their God. "I'm sorry, Alpha, but it was his life or mine. I had no choice."

Castiel's upper lip curled back in a derisive growl, but he said nothing, and Dean watched his Child's eyes for a long moment before letting him go. Nick doubled over; holding his head and Dean's fingernails came back with blood underneath them. He blinked at it, almost surprised that it was there, and then wiped it off on his jeans.

"The Alpha werewolf told you this?" he asked, and Nick nodded, rubbing his injured head. Dean's eyes flashed to Castiel again and then back to Nick. "If this wolf contacts you again, you will find me, and you will tell me. I'm not going to tell you where I'm going, but I have a feeling that you'll know soon enough. If you don't want me to kill you myself, you will not strike against a vampire or any other of my Children again, do you understand me?"

Nick's eyes were wide and terrified when he nodded. "Yes, Alpha. I'm sorry, Alpha. Please, forgive me," he begged, falling to his knees in front of the Incubus, and Dean stepped back, almost disgusted at the display – he didn't want people groveling for him. He didn't like it.

"Get up," Dean commanded, taking another step back when Nick did so. "Now go – gather your family and hide yourselves. I wouldn't be surprised if the Alpha wolf struck at you for a failed mission or for letting us slip through your fingers. Hide and await further instructions."

Nick nodded solemnly, fixing a wary eye on Castiel. "Yes, Alpha."

Dean waited until the Siren fled their company before his shoulders sagged, and he heaved a huge sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Castiel was immediately by his side. "That was terrifying," Dean muttered.

"That was _glorious_," Castiel murmured in reply, burying his face in Dean's neck and inhaling deeply, wrapping his arms around his mate from behind. Dean mewled low in his throat when he felt Castiel's hardness press against him, the vampire's hands roaming freely over his chest. "That was _beautiful_…God, your _power_." Castiel moaned, biting down on Dean's neck to muffle his words, and Dean moaned again, his head falling back onto Castiel's shoulder. "So glorious, Alpha, so fucking sexy."

"_Cas_," Dean growled out, feeling desire and hunger flare up inside of him as he responded to Castiel's manhandling, throwing his hands out to brace himself on shaky arms against the rough brick wall. Castiel's hands fell to his hips and Dean groaned, shifting backwards in an attempt to get more friction as Castiel mouthed at the back of his neck. "_Cas_, come on, we shouldn't…we can't…" Dean swallowed, trying to get control of himself, but Castiel's body heat and weight was settling so nicely along his spine, putting pressure on his arms and wrists to keep him up, and the cold brick bit into his palms and made him shudder in a little point of pain to compliment Castiel's mouth, worshipping the back of Dean's neck with light nips of teeth and then kittenish licks of the vampire's tongue. "No time…should keep moving…" Castiel lazily thrust forward, pulling Dean's hips back, and the motion caused the front of Dean's jeans to be pulled taught across his erection, and _fuck_, he felt like he was either going to explode right then, or fall apart in a puddle of goo.

"The moonlight's gonna run out before we can get anywhere," Castiel said in reply, nuzzling into the curve of Dean's neck and purring when his mate willingly exposed more for his eager, exploring mouth. "We'll end up in the middle of nowhere when the sun sets. We can leave at dawn. I'll make you come so many times by then, Dean, just you wait and see. Make you so loose and easy like you always get after a good fuck, make you so fucking hungry for me, hungry for more…" The vampire bit down at the back of Dean's neck, anchoring himself there while he lazily rode Dean's ass and the creature moaned, feeling like his knees were going to give out, they were shaking so badly and felt so weak.

"Cas, we really should…" But it was hard to concentrate with Castiel's knowing body, and his dirty mouth and his clever, clever hands, moving around to rub Dean through his jeans and the Incubus moaned like a porn star, feeling himself swell even more that he'd thought would be possible – he felt like he was literally going to explode out of his jeans. _"Cas…_"

"Shh, baby, I've got you," the vampire whispered dirtily into his ear and Dean moaned again, shaking as he felt the beginnings of his orgasm approaching, and he drove forward into Castiel's hand, then back, his hips slamming back into his lover's, and Castiel purred when Dean felt himself become overwhelmed, shuddering around his orgasm as he came in his pants like an overeager teenager, his eyes closed, his head hung, body trembling. "There we go…look at you, Dean, so gorgeous, so much power and influence and you don't even know…" Castiel pet down Dean's flank, loving the creature's little hitch of breath when he brushed over a sensitive spot near Dean's hip. "And all mine." Dean whined again when Castiel kept rubbing him through his jeans, well past the point of pleasure and into pain now on his oversensitive cock, and he shied back towards Castiel, away from the maddening pressure of that hand. "Easy, baby," the vampire coaxed, smiling again and licking along the bite at the back of Dean's neck. "I'll take care of you."

"We…" Dean stopped, swallowed, and when he tried to speak again his voice came out less hoarse; "We really don't have time to waste like this, Castiel." And he sounded guilty, and Castiel paused, still leaning over Dean, petting almost absently along the clothing covering his lover's sweat soaked skin.

"Let me take care of you, Dean, for tonight," he replied after a while, standing up straight and pulling Dean up with him. "We will track tomorrow, but Vegas is busy at the nighttimes and I want to enjoy you, just for a little while longer. Please…"

Dean sighed, shaking his head a little, and then turned to face Castiel, smiling slightly. "I suppose I do owe you the orgasm," he said, rolling his eyes because, well, they'd bought the room for the night, and it would be nice to bask in that kind of luxury and just draw mutual comfort from his mate for the night, and let themselves relax in the middle of all this Hell.

There was a voice in the back of his mind that said that the more time they wasted, the more people there were that could die, and they didn't have _time _to relax and really, Dean was selfish trying to think that way. People were _dying _and he wasn't _stopping it_.

That voice was very persistent. Dean sighed, leaning down to slant his lips over Castiel's and the vampire answered him eagerly, fisting his hands in Dean's too-short hair and tugging slightly. "I'll pay you back," Dean husked against his lover's lips, "but then we have to go. I don't want the toll to climb."

Castiel sighed into Dean's mouth, and though Dean couldn't see his eyes behind his lids he just knew Castiel was rolling them. "Very well," the vampire conceded, drawing Dean closer. "But first things first…"

* * *

The next day, Dean and Castiel were well on their way towards Atlanta, Georgia. That was where the meeting between Alphas had been, and that was where Dean could sense Jo – the Alpha Fey. Fey were tricky little bastards, but Jo couldn't hide from him. Her aura shone so brightly that it was a wonder Dean had never noticed it before. She shone almost as brightly as Castiel.

She didn't try and run. In fact, she found Dean, in a diner on the side of the road heading towards Kennesaw. She just came in and slid into his and Castiel's booth, easy as anything, opposite the two of them. They'd sat on the same side of the booth, able to see her coming, because sometimes Dean just had vibes like that.

"Alpha," she said, businesslike, but there was a genuine, caring smile on her face and it set Dean's heart at ease, seeing her. Nevertheless, he held the small container of salt in his left hand underneath the table, because when creatures became as hunted as they were, they took all precautions. Dean and Castiel had yet to have a confrontation but that didn't mean it would never happen. "It's been a long time. I thought you were dead."

"A lot of people did," Dean replied with a small smile, cocking his head to one side and leaning back against the red vinyl of the diner booth. "I hope you have good news, Jo."

She shook her head, a sad expression on her face. "Sam just attacked him out of nowhere," she whispered, eyes flashing up to her Alpha, then the vampire at his side. "A shot of Dead Man's Blood, right to the neck." She lifted her hand and pressed it against the side of her neck, wincing in remembrance. "When he fell Sam tore his head right off. There was so much blood…"

"Why didn't you stop him?" Castiel demanded, leaning forward, resting a hand on the table top. His fingers curled and dug into the plastic top and easily tore through it as he growled, upper lip curling back. Jo had the good sense to move away a little in her seat, and Dean had deliberately sat with Castiel against the wall because the vampire had gotten increasingly more agitated as the day had gone on. He wouldn't say a thing, but he didn't need to – Dean could feel him. More of Castiel's children were dying. "Why didn't you speak up? What if I just killed your Beta without cause? What would you do?"

Jo's eyes narrowed. "I would rip you apart," she hissed, cocking her head to one side and, for a split second, she actually looked menacing. Then the moment passed and she was smiling again, cheery as anything. "Look, I don't know where Sam is – the bastard's holing himself up tight and making all the rest of us do his dirty work. My kind are meant to be looking out for you two but they're sure as hell not gonna get you. It's the Djinni you need to look out for – they're powerful sons of bitches and they can be anywhere, and look like anybody. I've heard horror stories of what they can do."

Dean nodded – the Djinni, of all his Children, were the ones he was most aware of, besides vampires, because they were the strongest and most dominant of those he'd created. He reached across the table and smoothed his hand over hers, smiling a little in gratitude. "Thank you for your information, Jo," he said kindly, and Jo's smile widened. "Can you tell me where Pamela is?"

Jo's lips pursed in thought, her eyes growing far away as she tried to remember. Fey were powerful, but Jo was flighty and prone to her airheaded moments. Dean waited as patiently as he could, but they were running out of _time_. He felt nauseous with the pressure of finding Pamela, then Sam, and then…well. Then what?

Dean pushed the thought out of his mind – it wasn't important.

"Miami," Jo finally replied, nodding to herself as she smiled again. "Pam's in Miami. Or somewhere near there."

Castiel's growl came out frustrated and aggressive, and Dean stood before the vampire could press for more information, taking Castiel's hand and hauling him out of the booth. "Thank you, Jo, again," he said, smiling a little and urging his mate out of the door. The sun was out and it would harm Castiel to walk into but Dean could heal him again in the car. "You need to take your people and hole yourselves up – if Sam finds out you helped us, then he will be out for your blood."

Jo nodded solemnly, her smile not diminishing. "I've missed you, Alpha," she whispered, looking up at Dean with liquid brown eyes, and Dean leaned down, holding her face in his hands and pressing a kiss to her forehead like he'd seen Castiel do to many of his Children.

"I'm back now, Jo," he replied, "and I will not be silent anymore."

* * *

"Did you think I wouldn't find out?" The lesser creatures cowered in the face of their attacker, hissing in defiance but still backing down. The wolves gradually began to surround them on all sides, advancing closer to the pack of Sirens as they pressed back against the walls of their newest habitat – a large, concrete, prison-like building after their Alpha had ordered them to hide themselves. They'd been in this place for six days with no word.

They'd been sitting ducks.

Sam was furious, advancing on the Alpha, who stood tall despite his fear. He didn't want to die, but if his Alpha died then the point was kind of moot anyway. Sam took a hold of his throat, baring his teeth as he squeezed, cutting off the creature's air.

"You have betrayed us," Sam growled, and the wolves snarled out their agreement.

"I have betrayed my Alpha already," Nick replied, "I won't do it a second time."

Sam snorted in derision, a smirk on his face. "How noble," he said sarcastically, cocking his head to one side as he observed the puny creature. "It's amazing how something so powerful can create something so weak," he sneered. "Now I guess I know how God feels when he watches the world."

Nick's upper lip curled back in a sneer, and Sam closed his mouth before he could spit his venom and poison him. The werewolf's hand tightened in response to the attack, and Sam wiped the back of his hand over his mouth, getting rid of the venom. The creature choked, unable to draw enough air into his lungs, and around them, the other Sirens were clawing at their own throats with eyes widened by fear and small whimpers sounding from their mouths.

"Dean will feel this," Sam whispered, pushing his thumb harshly into Nick's neck as the creature choked and fell limply into unconsciousness. "He will not keep running for long."

* * *

Castiel was missing.

Castiel was _missing_.

_Castiel _was _missing_.

Dean couldn't think past that. He didn't know how it happened – he'd only left the vampire alone for a moment in the car to go pick up some gas station food. They'd been in Miami for almost two weeks with no trace of Pam – Dean couldn't quite pin her down, couldn't quite sense her, and that worried him.

He'd felt it when Nick died. It had been a slow fog of terror descending over his mind, with voices and sharp edges that cut into him. When Castiel had found him Dean had been surprised to find that he'd dug furrows into his own arms and neck, feeling like someone was trying to choke him. He'd felt it when his Child and all of Nick's Children had been snuffed out, like a power outage back in Vegas, a small dark spot amidst the rest of the brightness, and it had _hurt_. God, he had never known such pain like it.

And now Castiel was missing.

He couldn't bear to lose Castiel – he _wouldn't_. Fear was clouding his mind. He'd only left Castiel alone for a _moment_, not even, and then he'd come back out to find an empty car. The sun had been out – Castiel wouldn't have gotten far on foot. Dean had searched everywhere but his scent was being covered, so was his aura. Dean couldn't find him and that just made him panic. He'd only just found Castiel again and now_, now _they were hunted. A million different things could have happened to him and -.

Dean jolted out of his thoughts when his phone rang, and fumbled with it on the passenger's seat and checked Called ID. "Castiel?" he asked, both relieved and angry and suspicious.

"No, Alpha, I'm afraid not," came a female voice in reply, and Dean's upper lip curled back slightly. "It's been a long time, Jesse. Or I suppose you're Dean now, am I right?" Dean's snarl was the only answer, and Pamela laughed – it was a low, sultry sound and it set Dean's teeth on edge.

"What have you done with Castiel?"

"Well, fine, enough foreplay," Pam replied, a pout in her voice. Dean resisted the urge to growl at her. "He's safe. Well. He's alive, but I wouldn't count on that much longer. You see, the Alpha werewolf is quite persuasive in his arguments. It's either my kind or his, and it's not that much of a decision now, is it?"

"Don't hurt him," Dean begged, swallowing at the idea that one of his Children would kill another. "Please. Don't kill him."

Pamela sighed. "You used to be stronger, Alpha," she whispered, and Dean pulled over the car, unable to drive anymore, because the road was getting too blurry to see. He leaned his head back against the headrest and closed his eyes. He could hear other people on the phone behind Pam and he imagined he could pick out the sound of Castiel's breathing amongst the noise. "You used to be able to lay a whole city to waste with a flick or your wrist. What happened?"

Dean didn't answer. "If I promise your safety…if I protect you, will you let Castiel live?"

Pam 'hmm'ed gently in thought, and Dean could hear a metallic, rhythmic clacking sound, like something metal being wheeled over a cement floor. "I'm just the middle man, Alpha – it's Sam who wants Castiel's blood, not me. If you strike a deal with him, I see no reason to kill him."

"Sam will be coming to see him," Dean said softly, knowing it was true.

"Yes. If you meet us there, you may be able to sway the Alpha. I don't want my kind to die, Dean. _I _don't want to die. Sam is much stronger than I am, at least in family size."

Dean grunted in response, wiping at his eyes because he could feel tears wanting to fall and he would not show weakness, even to someone over a phone. "Where are you? I will come – call Sam and tell him that I will be there. I'll do whatever it takes. Just don't hurt him."

There was a pause. "What makes him so special?" Pam asked, a little bit of anger in her tone, and Dean could hear her walking over to what he had to assume was Castiel. "I mean…yeah, he's pretty, and he's powerful, but I don't understand why you love him so, Alpha, why you would risk your other Children's life for his." She snorted in bitterness. "I guess God does have favorites."

"Pam, please," Dean whispered, closing his eyes again. "Just tell me where you are."

She sighed. "Very well. We're near the Everglades tourist information centre. The part that's closed off for repairs. I can have Sam here by tomorrow, Alpha – you'd better be ready."

_

* * *

"Cas?"_

_Castiel looked up, frowning at the unfamiliar scene. Well, it was familiar, but it was out of place. So…strange…He turned around and saw Dean running towards him and embracing him, smiling widely as though Castiel had been gone for a long time and they had just been reunited._

_"Dean…" Castiel wrapped his arms around his lover, surprised but pleased at the affectionate gesture nonetheless, and then looked around himself again. Dean was…young. Younger than he had been. Maybe no older than sixteen. Castiel looked down at himself, seeing he wore plainer, simpler clothes that itched at his skin and were dark greens and browns and off-whites. Dean took his hand, grinning. "Where are we going?"_

_"To the woods, silly," Dean replied, pulling Castiel after him and the other boy had no choice but to follow. "I want to try something."_

_Castiel's eyes widened as recognition slammed into him. They were…God, they were in the past. In his first life. Something…something was happening. Something different…_

_He's recognize that big oak tree anywhere – the one that had cradled the boys in its limbs and long, sprawling roots as they'd…as they'd…_

_Dean was blushing, sitting in his favorite spot in that big oak tree's roots – a little dip that had been rubbed smooth by many hours sitting and talking about nothing between the young men. Castiel settled into his own place as though in a trance, staring up at Dean's face as his position was slightly lower down that the other boy's._

_Dean bit his lip, looking like there was a war going on behind his eyes, and then he looked down, still blushing shyly. Castiel swallowed, remembering this, his mouth gone dry with anticipation as it had before, that time with hope. "Dean?" he asked, brushing his fingers along the back of his best friend's hand. "You okay?"_

_Dean's head snapped up. "What? Oh, yeah…I'm okay…" He looked down again, then away. "You ever notice how our parents are always men and women?"_

_Castiel cocked his head to one side at the seemingly random tangent, but he knew where Dean had gone with this…A man and a woman was necessary for children, yes, but not for love. This was when Dean and Castiel had shared their first kiss, and it had been awkward and clumsy and a little messy and more than perfect. Castiel's hands were shaking, thinking about it._

_"I mean," Dean continued, blushing over his friend's continued, scrutiny. He was fidgeting. "I guess I just don't understand why…If you love someone, you should go for it, right? And I mean…what if the souls just got mixed up this time around? If it _is _meant to be a woman's and a man's _soul_, who's to say the souls didn't get switched around, or confused?"_

_Castiel blinked – he hadn't remembered this part. Then again, there were still a lot of things he didn't remember about his past, things that he didn't want to remember. Like any time where Dean hadn't been in his arms. "You might have a point there," he said, because it felt like he needed to say something._

_Dean blushed harder. "Yeah," he said, smiling to himself, meeting Castiel's eyes again. It took a moment to realize how close they were to each other, how easy it would be to –_

_Their lips met before either of them could stop it. It was shy – just a chaste brush, more chance than actual intent, until Castiel leaned forward and deepened it, old memories clashing with this new one and making it all the sweeter. Memories of Dean writhing underneath him, of kissing him, of drinking Dean's blood or feeling his warmth in Castiel's arms, combined with this new, rich sweetness of reliving their first kiss, and when Castiel slid his hand into Dean's unkempt hair, it was natural as anything and sweet and perfect. Dean shivered around the breath, eyes closed, answering and mirroring Castiel, as the slightly older boy sucked Dean's lip into his mouth and bit down on it, nuzzling and coaxing until Dean opened up for him. He was trembling like he had that very first time that hadn't happened yet, and Castiel made a pleased sound when Dean slid from his hollow into Castiel's lap, straddling his thighs, muscles gripping warm and heavy around Castiel's legs, and the older boy sighed into Dean's mouth, holding him close._

_They would get caught in an hour or so, but until then, Castiel planned to enjoy this dream – hallucination – memory. Whatever it was. Because this…this was perfect. Before wolves came along and fucked up the order. Before Castiel became a vampire. When they were just human and dormant Incubus, both with souls, both with loving, naïve smiles and tender hearts.

* * *

_

Sam was there when Dean arrived. No one approached either of them as Dean entered the facility with wary eyes and a racing pulse, trying to keep himself calm despite his fear and his anxiety.

He saw Castiel suspended from hooks that were attached to a wall, two IV bags coming out of his left arm. One of them…one of them was black and dark. Dead Man's Blood – keeping Castiel sedated and unconscious. Dean could see Pamela's taint on him, and knew she was working her magic. The second held a bag of Castiel's own blood, drawing it out so the Dead Man's Blood had more effect, like alcohol.

Dean swallowed, seeing his mate – Castiel had taken quite a beating, and his skin was burned from time in the sun. Anger and hatred welled up in him for Sam and Pamela but he kept himself in check, moving his gaze to stare at his Child and the Alpha wolf.

Sam was watching him with calculating eyes. Pamela looked a little nervous but was trying not to show it. Dean had to break the silence first; "I'm here," he said, forcing his voice to remain steady. "Let Castiel go."

"Not yet," Sam replied, holding a hand out in front of Pamela before she could release Castiel. The Djinn swallowed and stepped back again, and Dean growled at her, eyes flashing silver at her disobedience. Sam was still watching Dean. "How do I know you won't just take him and run again?"

"I said I would do what you want," Dean replied tersely, feeling the eyes of many of Sam's Children on him, people he had used to call friends and allies. Now they just felt like the red point of a sniper on the target painted onto his back. "Tell me what you want."

The Alpha wolf laughed. "You could make a lot of money with that line," he said, and Dean just growled. Sam hummed softly, moving away from Pam's side and heading towards Castiel. "I never understood what you saw in him," he said conversationally, stroking a finger through the vampire's blood and grimacing in distaste, wiping it on the collar of Castiel's shirt. Dean resisted the urge to attack Sam for even touching his mate. "I imagine he was different, back when you first met. Back before I was even born.

But then, I have to wonder, if you loved him so much, why you would always find yourself running away from him? Surely you can sense him now?" Dean nodded, because it seemed like a response was desired of him. "Then how does it work?"

"I can't pretend to know," Dean said honestly. "Sometimes a soul isn't limited to time or place."

The answer was cryptic and dissatisfying, and Sam's mouth twisted a little. "No matter, I suppose," he said, turning away from Castiel and towards Dean. "He's not what I want. You." He laced his fingers together, pointing towards Dean with both forefingers. "You are what I want."

Dean frowned, disgusted. "This was all some sort of way of getting me back?" he accused, hatred plain in his tone.

Sam shook his head. "Of course not. This is so much_ bigger_ than that," Sam said, throwing his arms out to either side of him. Dean's eyes widened, feeling that slow fog of terror descending over his mind again – oh God, no, not again…please not again…"You, Dean, are powerful. So much more powerful than I could ever hope to be – if you wanted, you could suck the energy from the sun and turn the world into ice, but you don't, because you don't have ambition like that." Sam smiled a little too widely. "That's where I come in."

_"Sweetheart, if you're looking for a mate that won't lie to you or scheme to get ahead, then perhaps you should go looking for the dead, because they have no ambition."_

Dean's eyes widened and he took a step back. He was starting to shake, realization and fear spreading through him like a chill. Something was happening…somewhere…_God_. "You're insane," he choked out, feeling like all the air in the room was being sucked away from him, and he grasped at his throat, fighting to stay upright when he wanted to fall to his knees. "Sam…what are you doing?"

"I'm taking away your weaknesses," Sam spat in reply, sounding angry and frustrated and a little exasperated. "I'm doing this for you, Dean – without all these weaknesses, you and I will be so strong together. I know you can't fathom it now, but just you wait and see. We will control everything, you and I…I just have to get rid of the competition first."

Dean watched with wide eyes as, behind Pamela, wolves began to approach her. He tried to make a sound, to warn her, but he couldn't – she turned around just in time to get a silver blade covered in lamb's blood through her heart. Dean cried out, clutching at his chest, as though he could feel the blade himself. His throat burned and he was sobbing, feeling little pockets of light go out all around the world. But that terrible fog wasn't going away. He sucked in a deep breath, trying to fight, trying to tell Sam no, that it wasn't necessary, that he could still be powerful with all his Children, but there wasn't enough air in the room. His Children were dying and there wasn't a damn thing he could do to stop it.

He found himself wondering vaguely if this was how God felt when he looked at the world. Perhaps he didn't stop things happening because so _much_ was happening all at once. He literally could not stop it.

Silver was descending over his vision. More were dying – everywhere. He could feel it…one by one, Sam had planned a huge counterattack to all Dean's children. The Fey were dying out too…Sam knelt down in front of Dean and took his chin in hand, absently wiping at the tears on Dean's face. "I know it hurts now," Sam whispered softly, "but you'll thank me for this."

Dean whined, holding his heart as he felt the last of Jo's Children flare up and then become snuffed out, and he spit in Sam's face. "Go to Hell," he snarled, and Sam's mouth thinned out before he let Dean go, standing up again and wiping his face clean.

"Your Children have a habit of doing that too. You shouldn't pass on such bad habits, you know," he chided softly, then approached Castiel as Pam's body was let go and slumped to the floor. Dean couldn't bear to look at her blank green eyes. "Now…for the last loose end."

"No!" Dean sobbed, trying to push himself to his feet, but he was quickly held down by several wolves. He snarled, focusing on their energies, and just drew from them. He didn't care anymore – let _Sam_ feel what he had just felt. The wolves gasped out, feeling their lives literally get drained away, and then they slumped around Dean, who pushed himself to his feet. "Don't kill him. Please, please don't kill him. If you do, I will make it my mission to destroy you – don't think I won't."

* * *

_"Please, please don't kill him. If you do, I will make it my mission to destroy you – don't think I won't."_

_Castiel frowned, drawing away from Dean, seeing the look of panic and raw rage on his mate's face. "Dean, what's happening?" he asked, but Dean was pulling away. The world was pulling away – like a carpet being ripped out from under Castiel's feet, leaving only whiteness behind. He had the sense of being in danger but couldn't, for the life of him, pinpoint it or get away from it. "Dean! What's happening?"_

_"No! No, you – You _son of a bitch!_ I'll kill you! I swear to God I'll kill you!"_

_"Hold him down. He can't take from all of you without being sick."_

_"Dean!" Castiel turned around, trying to see anything that wasn't white, but he couldn't – the scene he'd been in had been completely ripped away. Flashes of color and sound lanced across the blank canvas he was standing in and he winced at every one._

_A pretty girl, approaching him, easy, flirty, would be a Child if he had the time or inclination. Then her eyes shone blue and her face became inked with tattoos. A touch, a blow to his head, being dragged somewhere. Voices, sensations, pain and lethargy. Djinni…A smell. There was a scent in the air. Blood, sweat, tears, _wolves_. There were wolves here._

_Pain. So much pain, _God_, what was that? At the point of his neck. Castiel pressed a hand against his pulse, feeling it race in anxiety and fear._

_"Don't you dare touch him!"_

_Dean…_

_The pain was getting stronger. Castiel clawed at his throat, feeling like some insect was trying to burrow under his skin and sever his neck altogether. There was pressure at his neck and shoulder and a ripping sound…tearing…_

_Then blackness._

* * *

"No!" Dean screamed, throwing off the wolves that just kept piling onto him, out of nowhere. They just kept coming and he kept taking but he was running out of places to put all the energy inside of him. His eyes were completely silver, and all he could see was how brightly Sam shone and how brightly Castiel _didn't_. He was _gone_.

He snarled, ripping wounds into his own body so that he lost blood – if he lost blood he would have to heal himself and that meant he would be able to take more energy and defeat more people. Bodies were piling up around him, but his eyes were only focused on Sam, standing next to Castiel's limp body, holding his head. "Sam!"

The werewolf turned around, a soft smile on his face, and Dean thought he must have gone mad, because he didn't even flinch when each of his Children fell around him. "I've made you indestructible, now," Sam said serenely, holding the bloody remains of Castiel's head, detached from his body, and Dean roared, shoving himself to his feet again.

He was on Sam in a moment, shoving the werewolf away. "Get the fuck away from him!" he snarled, holding Castiel's head in his hands, and he hurriedly unhooked Castiel's limp body from the wall, collapsing when the dead weight took him down. "No, no…" He shook his head, and the world was shaking. Or maybe that was just him. He pressed a hand against Castiel's body, healing the head back onto it despite the fact that the life was long gone. "Cas…you come back to me, you stubborn bastard. You got what you want, now do something about it."

_

* * *

"You come back to me, you stubborn bastard."_

_Castiel woke up in Hellfire. Well, that wasn't quite true, because Hellfire implies Hell, which means demons and souls of the damned and screams and torture. No…Castiel was in regular fire. There was a lake of it, like when dinosaurs were still real. He was on the side of a mountain that was black and ashen, in a barren landscape. Smoke clouded the air and made it hard to see or breathe. He hurriedly pushed himself up, disoriented, wondering where he was, when the Earth shook beneath him._

_The mountain was trembling. Hurriedly he stumbled off of it, towards the base of the mountain and more ash billowed into the air. He coughed, lungs burning at the smell of sulfur and the poisonous carbon monoxide, his eyes watering when the ash irritated his eyes._

_"Come on now, Dean. I've made you indestructible."_

_"You've made me an enemy."_

_Dean's voice. _Sam's_ voice. Castiel bared his teeth in a snarl, knowing something awful must have happened. And that pain…it felt like his head had been ripped right off his shoulders._

_He paused._

_"You got what you want, now do something about it."_

_Was he…?_

_"Am I dead?" he asked, to no one in particular. He turned around again, looking up to the top of an angry volcano, and stepped back. There was no life here – of course, there wouldn't be. The volcano was the only point of brightness around him – the rest was barren desert. Flat, open plains of nothingness. His throat burned with thirst and he felt a need for earthly food, but he swallowed it back._

_"Gabriel?" he hazarded, again not knowing what to do. Dean's words echoed back to him._

_"It's a _trial_ and you're going into it _untried_."_

_Castiel closed his eyes, concentrating, and trying to remember. He would be able to sense Gabriel, here, surely, now that they were on the same plain again. Then, theoretically, he would be able to drag them both back to Earth with Dean again. In theory._

_It had taken Dean a few tries to get it right._

_Castiel swallowed, looking back at the volcano once more. It seemed like things were lurking in the blackness of the falling ash, and Castiel looked about him, seeing desert in one direction and rocky crags in another. He sighed, straightened his shoulders, and started towards the crags, because if Gabriel was here, that was where he would go._

* * *

Dean was almost catatonic by the time Sam managed to subdue him enough for his Children to touch Dean without being drained. The Incubus' eyes were glazed over, almost like he just wasn't there anymore, and Sam swallowed back his worry, sure that he had done the right thing. He'd made Dean stronger through this and together – _together_ – without interference from that damned insect or any of Dean's other Children, they could do great things.

Sam's house was in Orlando – only four hours away on a good day. He holed Dean up in the back of a van and left Castiel's and Pamela's bodies back at that warehouse – there wasn't any point trying to clean them up.

Dean just sat, staring blankly at a wall with one hand around his drawn up legs, the other around his stomach, and said nothing. He just cried silently and his shoulders shook. Sam would feel guilty, but Dean would get over it soon enough and realize that Sam was the best thing for him, and he'd come around.

Dean closed his eyes, looking around the world. It was so _dark_, so empty…Castiel, the brightest point in Dean's world, was gone, and so were his Children. Thousands upon thousands, just blown out like an overused light bulb. Dean shuddered with hatred and revulsion, and knew that Sam would pay. He would so pay.

_

* * *

"Gabriel!" Castiel shouted, his voice echoing eerily off the crags. Above him, something moved, and a rock slipped and fell to his side. Castiel wasn't naïve enough to think it was his brother – if his brother had heard him, he wouldn't still be hiding. Castiel braced himself._

_"Oh, Alpha vampire. And here I was hoping you'd succeeded."_

_The voice came from the figure of Jo, Dean's Child. Castiel cocked his head to one side, and then straightened up, not wanting to be aggressive towards her because really, she was his favorite so far of Dean's other Children. "So Sam struck at you too," he said gravely._

_Jo nodded, his mouth twisting in anger. "Yes," she said, crossing her arms, "and my mate, and my entire family. All of them, just gone, just like that." She snapped her fingers and Castiel smiled at the Dean-esque way she'd said that, remembering his mate saying the exact same thing not too long ago. Then, Jo straightened, and her eyes narrowed towards Castiel. "You're still tied to him."_

_Castiel nodded. "Bonus of being mated to an Incubus," he said with a slight smile. "I'm just here to find my brother. Well, that and I don't know how the fuck to actually get back to the world. Dean's the expert on this, not me," he said, frustrated._

_"Well, there's probably Incubi around here," she said, shrugging a little, but Castiel raised a hand, stopping her, cocking his head to one side. Someone else was here. He turned around, eyes narrowed and searching around the tops of the crags. He and Jo were standing in a ravine – there was only one way in, or one way out, if you couldn't fly. There was a warm breeze blowing through the crags, but until then it had been cold, or still._

_"Something's here," he whispered to her, and she tensed up, searching surreptitiously around her. "Brace yourself against the rock face," he said, jerking his head to his left, where the road began to bend. He heard something growl low and then suck in a deep breath. "Now!"_

_Castiel pressed his back against the cool rock at the same time flames roared past them in a burning jet. He wrinkled his nose, smelling burning hair and flesh, and knew something that wasn't them must not have been so lucky as to avoid the flames. Jo was breathing heavily, her eyes wide with fear, and she crept closer to Castiel._

_"Come on," he said, pulling her along around the bend so the fire wouldn't be able to catch them until the beast that breathed it turned. "Let's get the fuck out of here."_

_"What comes here?" she asked breathlessly, following Castiel as he ran through the ravine, looking around them for any possible shelter or hiding place._

_"Everything that cannot go anywhere else," Castiel replied, helping her up and over a large bolder that was blocking their path, and then he kept running. "Supernatural creatures with no soul to go to Heaven or Hell. Things that are evil or just not human. We cannot die here. We cannot escape."_

_"_I _cannot escape," Jo corrected. "You most certainly can."_

_"Perhaps…"_

_"Castiel!"_

_The vampire halted immediately, looking around. They had begun to climb, and were essentially sitting ducks on the side of a cliff face, but Castiel would know that voice anywhere._

_"Gabriel?" _

* * *

"Do you know what it's like to live in total darkness, Sam?" Dean asked, hand still rubbing at his sore, injured arms, legs and belly. He'd really done a number on himself for the fight with Sam's Children and he was hurting in more ways than one, and sore, and just wanted to go to sleep forever and never wake up. He couldn't erase the image of Castiel's dead body from the backs of his eyelids. "Do you understand just how empty it is? Fuck, I bet you don't even care…what's there going to be to rule after you're done, hmm?" Dean laughed – it was a bitter, frightening mockery of his laugh, and his hands moved to his legs, rubbing up and down his shins through his jeans. "M'never gonna give you what you want. Never gonna work for you or help you with this." His eyes closed. "May as well get it over with now…"

_

* * *

"Castiel, you son of a bitch! I leave you alone for a few days and you go and get yourself killed."_

_"Gabriel." Castiel couldn't help it. He embraced his brother tight enough to maybe kill him all over again, burying his face in his big brother's neck. Here, without the call of blood or the power of the Alpha singing in Castiel's veins, they were merely brothers, older and younger, seeking comfort and reassurance that they were actually both there. "Gabriel, Gabriel…"_

_"Shh, Cas," Gabriel replied, hugging his little brother back just as tightly – he hadn't needed to comfort Castiel this much since Castiel was going through the Change, becoming a vampire, and Gabriel had had to watch along with Dean and make sure he was okay. "I'm here, you're alright." A pause, then; "Is Dean here too?"_

_Castiel swallowed, straightening up and putting distance between them once more. "No," he said, shaking his head. "Dean's…Dean…" He swallowed once more, trying to get control of himself, but it was no use – here, in Purgatory, there were no illusions. There were no poker faces or training or power. It was survival of the fittest, pure and simple, and one vampire was just as fit as the other. "He's still on Earth," Castiel said, wiping at his eyes. "He's there with Sam and…_fuck_, Gabriel, and I need to get back there, but I don't know how."_

_Gabriel's brows knit together. "There's always a way," he murmured to himself, his dark eyes flashing to Castiel's companion. "Who's the girl?"_

_Jo straightened. "I'm the Alpha Fey," she hissed defensively, and Gabriel's brows rose._

_"Jesus, Sam's just not even joking anymore, isn't he?" he asked, half-amused, half-angry. Then he paused. "Castiel, what does this place look like to you?" he asked, gesturing around themselves._

_The Alpha vampire frowned. "Um…It's mountains, Gabe. Crags and caves and sharp rocks and stuff."_

_"What?" Jo frowned. "To me it's a waterfall we're climbing up. Can't you see I'm soaking wet?" She shook her hair out as if to demonstrate, but all Castiel saw was dry, wavy blonde locks. He frowned in confusion and looked back towards his older brother._

_"There are always clues," Gabriel said, cocking his head to one side. "Death is like darkness, but there is always a source of light to symbolize the world. Where is the source of light for you, Castiel?" _

_"Um…the sun?" Castiel said, unsure if his brother might have gone a little crazy or taken one head wound too many._

_Gabriel rolled his eyes. "No, little brother. There's no sun here." Castiel looked up to find that Gabriel was right – the sky was white and bright blue to make it look like a sunny, oppressive day, but there was no actual glowing ball in the sky. "Where is the light for you?"_

_Castiel thought about it for a moment, then his eyes widened in realization. "The volcano."_

* * *

"Dean," Sam coaxed, smiling when he actually managed to get Dean to focus on his face. He stroked a hand down Dean's neck and the creature shuddered, biting his lip and looking away. "Hey, there, sweetheart. How are you feeling today?"

Dean growled. "Like a rabid dog ate my soul," he snapped back, only half-sarcastically. His fingers itched to touch Sam, to reach out and steal that glowing ball of energy, but Sam was being smart about it. He'd managed to…find this stupid sigil or something that he'd carved into his own chest that meant any energy Dean took away from him would be immediately replaced from Dean. It was a vicious cycle and Dean hadn't gotten close enough to maybe destroy the sigil. He had to wait, and bide his time.

Sam chuckled, leaning forward and placing a kiss to Dean's forehead, his hands strong around Dean's wrists and holding him down so Dean couldn't touch. The Incubus flexed in his hold but didn't otherwise move. "You'll come around," Sam whispered like a dark promise in Dean's ear, and the creature shivered, his eyes falling closed, and he swallowed when Sam nosed along Dean's neck, inhaling like Dean was just some animal in heat.

The Incubus snarled and lashed out, catching Sam's neck with his teeth. "Stay the fuck away from me," he spat, his entire body tense and quivering, and Sam chuckled again, pressing a hand against his own neck.

"I'll be back when you're in a more companionable mood," Sam said with a smile, because he wasn't feeling the pressure yet. His greatest enemy was gone and his greatest asset was under his control. He could wait a few more days before planning his attack.

* * *

_"Are you sure about this?" Castiel asked, turning to look at his brother. Gabriel just nodded. "You're coming with me, right?" he asked again, holding his hand out, and Gabriel took it, letting their fingers lace together._

_"Like I would stay here," he said, snorting in derision, and then the two vampires looked to Jo. "You coming?"_

_Jo thought for a moment, then looked around, and shook her head. "No. My mate's here, and my Children will be here too. I will stay with them," she said, and then took a step back away from the mouth of the volcano._

_"Talk about a leap of faith, eh little brother?" Gabriel asked with a grin, and Castiel almost sobbed out his laugh, squeezing his brother's hand and hoping to God this worked. He stole himself, closing his eyes, focusing on Dean, on Earth, on where he could last remember being. He didn't know exactly how this worked but he was going to try and make it as easy for them as possible._

_"Ready?" he whispered, opening his eyes again and looking down into the boiling lava. As he watched a bubble of gas formed and popped, and he swallowed, able to feel the extreme heat all the way up here. "Three, two, one…"_

_They jumped.

* * *

_

Dean's eyes flared open when Sam came back to see him, and he swallowed, and shifted away from the werewolf as he approached. Sam watching him curiously, like Dean was a weird, wonderful creature to study and dissect, and Dean shivered at his own train of thought. "Come on, now, Dean, aren't you hungry?" Dean's eyes flashed silver but he didn't answer. "You're going to have to start talking and eating eventually."

Dean growled softly. "You killed him," he whispered.

Sam rolled his eyes. "Really? Are we still on that?"

"Shouldn't I be?" Dean snapped, raising his head from his folded arms which rested on top of his knees and snarling at Sam. Slowly, he started to push himself to his feet – it was hard, as he was feeling weak and hadn't fed in far too long, but he managed. "You've killed my entire family, Sam. You, the person I used to love, lied to me and tried to _feed off me_ and then, when I most needed help, you abandoned me for your own personal gains. You willingly fed me to the enemy so that you could get the upper hand. When I tried to get help for myself, you locked me away. You've hunted me and my mate, and killed his Children, and killed mine. Forgive me if I'm not quite ready to jump into bed with you."

Sam chuckled – it was a low, harsh sound. "I think you're fighting this too hard," he purred, stepping towards Dean, who held his ground, not wanting to be cowed by some overgrown pup. "If I recall, you seemed perfectly happy to jump into bed with Castiel."

"He's my mate."

"_Was_ your mate, sweetheart. He's dead now."

Dean swallowed, his heart aching at the words. "Are you just here to intentionally hurt me?" he demanded in barely louder than a whisper, blinking rapidly so that the traitorous tears wouldn't begin to fall. He couldn't let himself show weakness in front of Sam.

"I'm here to help you," Sam answered, finally stepping close enough that the warm line of his body fell alongside Dean's, and the creature shuddered with revulsion, hating the little part of him that rolled over for Sam's strength and vitality and dominance. "I'm here to make you – to make _us_ – strong and whole again."

"You took away any chance of that happening," Dean growled, pushing at Sam's shoulders.

The werewolf snorted. "Semantics," he muttered derisively, leaning down again and nosing at Dean's neck, ignoring how the Incubus tried to force him away from such a vulnerable area. Sam's teeth began to extend and become serrated, ready to bite into Dean's neck and make him one of Sam's Children. "Just imagine it, Dean, so much power…so fucking powerful, and so _willing_, so easy…" Sam's hands ran down Dean's flanks, touching Dean like the creature belonged to him, and Dean mewled, angry, but so _hungry._ God, he hated the way he responded to the right touches, and Sam and he _did_ have history – Sam knew his hot spots and knew just how to get him to roll over and beg like a good little bitch.

Dean took in a shuddering breath, tense and quivering because Sam's mouth was right by his neck and with one bite there wouldn't even be a choice anymore. Dean swallowed, feeling tears building up behind his lids, and his fingers dug in harshly into Sam's muscle, his eyes flashing silver, and –

-the world lit up again.

Dean gasped, damn near falling to his knees at the explosion of light and radiance that circled the globe. He made a choking sound, eyes wide and staring at some point beyond Sam, and beyond the walls of the room Sam had placed him in.

"Dean?" Sam asked, confused and a little wary, and he knelt down just in time for Dean to duck, on instinct, and the glass of the far window he'd been staring into crashed as something huge was thrown through it. It was a human body.

Scratch that.

It wasn't human at all.

"You…" Sam stood up, growling, placing himself between Dean and the stranger. "I _killed_ you!" he accused, like Castiel's very existence upset him on some personal level.

Which, Dean thought, semi-hysterically, it kind of did.

"Yeah," Castiel replied coolly, straightening and brushing some glass off his blood-soaked jacket, from his own blood, and _God_, he was back. Dean felt like he could sob, seeing his mate standing there, whole and _healthy_. He even had a smirk on his face and a light in his eyes that spoke of murderous intent and Dean had never been so happy to see it. "You did a really crappy job of that, didn't you?"

Sam snarled, upper lip curling back, body quivering as he just held himself back from changing into a wolf. He took a step towards Castiel. "I'll be sure to make it more permanent next time."

Castiel just smirked, dropping low into a fighting stance, and the two began to circle. Dean just stared, unable to quite believe that Castiel had managed to come back, perfectly whole, first try. He wondered if he'd found Gabriel. He wondered what Purgatory had been like for the vampire, and how he managed to get back out so quickly.

He wondered if he would have a chance to ask those questions, or if Sam would kill him all over again.

The two creatures went for each other, Sam turning into a massive wolf and snarling, and they met in a blur. Dean could hardly keep track of who was where, but he forced himself to watch, sucking in a breath every time Sam's claws came close to Castiel's neck, or his teeth landed on Castiel's body. He wished he could take energy from Sam like he had before, but he couldn't – not with that damned sigil.

But…he could _give_, to Castiel. Yes…

Dean closed his eyes, placing his hands on the floor, and searched out. Several of Sam's older Children were here, and he didn't even bother with finesse – before, he had taken small amounts, drawing, almost coaxing them out. Today he didn't have that luxury. He dug his nails in and tugged, and felt the life forces being dragged out of their bodies, and they screamed at a pitch that hurt his ears and vibrated in his being, and then fed it to Cas. The vampire was getting stronger, rabid with werewolf power, and he was faster than Sam was and, though he landed fewer blows, each one had the force of three behind it.

"I know exactly what I'm going to do to you," Castiel growled, finally managing to pin Sam onto his back, his teeth bared and elongating. Blood was running down the side of his face, and down his arms, but he didn't care because he was _winning_. Dean was making him strong, had chosen him to be the favorite, and Castiel wouldn't let his powerful Alpha down. Not again. "The Afterlife is quite interesting, you know, Sam, and I think you'll like it there. I know that there are a _lot _of people who will be wanting to meet you…"

Sam growled defiantly up at him, baring his teeth, and Castiel chuckled and leaned down. "And the best part? Titles mean nothing there. You'll just be a regular…_puny_…creature…With no Alpha status whatsoever."

Sam's eyes widened, and he was gasping, sweat plastering his coat, and he whined. Castiel chuckled. "I told you, Sammy," he whispered, moving his hands so one was around the wolf's muzzle, easily clamping his jaws together, the other knotting in the thick scruff of fur. "I'm not a creature to be struck at three times."

He jerked, and pulled his hands apart, and Sam's body went limp, his neck broken. A lot of the world went dark again.

* * *

Dean woke up feeling like he'd been hit by a freight train. Repeatedly. He groaned, swallowing around his dry mouth, and blinked open bleary eyes. He was…where was he? He sat up, looking around. He was lying on a very large, very comfortable bed, in a giant suite that he recognized…Vegas. They were back in Vegas. Dean's eyes widened, looking around, and for a small, stupid amount of time, he thought all of the past two weeks had been some strange, incredibly vivid dream.

He heard movement and shoved himself to his feet, going out of the bedroom to find Castiel rifling through several bags of take-out food. He didn't even think about it – Castiel looked up just in time for Dean to barrel into his mate's arms, hugging him so tightly that he would break a normal person.

"I…you…I thought…" Dean buried his face in his mate's neck, nuzzling into the bite on Castiel's neck, and shook on his exhale. "How did you even know where I was?"

"I sensed you," Castiel replied softly, sounding subdued as he wrapped his arms around Dean, hugging him back desperately. "God, Dean, I was almost too late. I could have been too late if…" He swallowed, not wanting to think about it. "You're safe, though. We're both alright."

"…You killed Sam."

"I had to," Castiel replied. "He would have kept coming for us." The vampire drew away so he could see his mate's face, holding Dean's face in his hands and kissing him like he hadn't for years, and Dean opened up sweetly to him, his hands greedily mapping out Castiel's clean, perfect body, as though the vampire had never died and come back. All of the ugliness and the dirt had been washed away. "I'm so glad you're safe. I don't know what would have happened if…"

"Shh," Dean replied, resting his forehead against Castiel's. "It's done now, it's…" Dean closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "The world is very dark."

Castiel sighed. "Sam had a lot of Children. They will have all passed on, I think, except for the younger ones or the ones more removed from his bloodline. What about…" Castiel swallowed. "What about mine?"

Dean's eyes opened again. "They flared up when you came back," he said, and Castiel let out a relieved sigh. "But I still can't find Gabriel."

"No," Castiel said with a small laugh, straightening up again and Dean looked at him curiously. "He's still waiting." Dean's brow furrowed. "For a body," Castiel explained.

"Oh," Dean said. "Well, if we can find his old one I think I could repair it for him to inhabit again, if he was partial to it…"

Castiel nodded after a while. "But I don't know where it is."

"It'll still be in Georgia, right? In Atlanta? We'll find it," Dean promised, nuzzling into Castiel's mouth again, licking along the grooves where Castiel's second set of teeth sheathed themselves when not in use. Dean couldn't stop touching his mate, needing to know he was there, and they were both whole and alive and fine, that they weren't going anywhere – neither of them – and that Castiel's Children were alive and well, because they were the only ones Dean had left. All his other Children had been murdered.

"Sam killed the rest of them," he whispered, tugging on his lover's hands, pulling him towards the bed. "Jo, Pam, Nick. They're all dead."

"I know," Castiel replied, falling onto Dean when the Incubus pulled him down onto the bed, falling between Dean's eagerly spread legs. "I met Jo in Purgatory again, and I think I heard Pam die."

"Where did you go?" Dean asked, his fingers digging into Castiel's hips, driving his own up, making them grind together, and he let out a desperate little mewl, muffling his sounds against Castiel's lips, his heart galloping in his chest, desire and need flaring up his spine in a wave of intense heat. "In Pam's illusion, where did you go?"

Castiel smiled, running his nose along Dean's jaw while his mate caught his breath, greedy hands exploring the rise and fall of Dean's body, tracing the muscles and smooth skin and counting every freckle on Dean's face and down his neck, and watching that adorable, wanton flush spread along his skin.

"I was with you," he whispered, slowly pulling Dean's clothes away from his body, baring inch by tantalizing inch to the pleasantly cool, conditioned air, and Dean shivered, goose bumps rising on his skin. "In that forest when we were young. You were telling me about female souls inside of male bodies, and we kissed for the first time." Dean smiled, remembering, taking in a deep breath when Castiel's mouth went to his neck, and he eagerly bared it for his mate. "You were so young – we both were – so eager, and so willing, and still so powerful. You were beautiful and naïve and innocent and I wish I could have kept you that way. I wish you didn't have to know me as you know me now. I was much better as a human."

"No," Dean replied, shaking his head when Castiel stopped talking, slicking up two of his fingers with saliva and then moving them between Dean's legs to prepare his mate, stretching him open as carefully as he could while still being quick, as the vampire could feel the frenzy of need building between them. "You are perfect. You are mine." He pulled Castiel down for a slow, ember-glow kiss, rolling his hips onto Castiel's fingers, wanting his mate inside of him, renewing their bond in the best way. "Please, Cas, more."

Castiel purred, kissing his mate back with a fierce kind of promise in it, of safety and love and a future full of many lives for themselves together, and Dean answered him, spreading his legs a little more, clutching at the vampire's pale skin, and whined into Castiel's mouth when the vampire slid home, filling him up so perfectly and deliciously, and Dean never wanted him to leave.

Never wanted him to let go.

They conceived Tyler that very night.

* * *

Castiel's family had taken a huge hit, but they recovered. Other kinds were not so lucky. Werewolves were gone. Sirens were gone. Djinni and Fey, and even a lot of the Ghouls had taken a hit. Supernatural creatures were more hunted than ever – the Hunters were getting cocky and better every day, and now that they has less to focus on and worry about, they were turning their attentions to the more obscure, or the less troublesome.

"The Laws were obviously not enough," Dean said, Gabriel standing at his left side, Castiel at his right, as the two vampires looked out at the gathered Alphas. "We have all taken losses and the Laws were not enough to keep a horrible, horrible tragedy happening. I created almost all of the extinct races, and I'm aware that many of you have your own creators that are like me. I propose an alliance. Without all of us uniting – and not for war, but for peace and support – the Hunters will wipe all of us out."

Green eyes tracked around the room, and met with those of each of the other Alphas. Dean took a deep breath, and straightened, and looked behind him, to Castiel, for support. The vampire smiled and nodded encouragingly. "I plan to go and find others like me – others who have been silent for their own reasons. I want to find the First of the Firsts, and I want us all to be united so that creatures like Sam cannot rise again, so that we don't all die."

There were murmurs of assent around the group, and Dean was proud and relieved to find that his proposal was being met with at least a little acceptance. "It won't be easy, but I think we can do it. And maybe…I don't know." Dean shrugged, smiling a little. "I'm not a fortune teller."

* * *

"You told me you knew who would win," Castiel said, when he, Dean and Gabriel were back in their home in Ridgecrest, and all of Castiel's fledglings had been returned to him. Dean looked up from where he was standing over Tyler's crib, smiling over at his mate and drawing him into a kiss. "Did you really?"

"Well, I had my bets," Dean replied, smiling playfully and nuzzling at his bite on Castiel's neck. Castiel rolled his eyes. "I'm not a fortune teller, Cas, and I can't see the future, but life always wins. The brightest energy…that will always win." Dean looked away, leaning from Castiel and back towards Tyler, looking down at their son with a soft smile on his face. "One day the sun will swallow us up – it is the brightest star closest to us and it will beat us all eventually. You…you were the brightest on this planet, and you were who I bet on."

"And Tyler?" Castiel asked, amused at his mate's reasoning, wrapping his arms around Dean from behind and hooking his chin over Dean's shoulder, looking down at the slumbering half breed. "How bright does he shine?"

"He's second only to his father," Dean replied, leaning down and brushing his forefinger over the side of his son's face, his smile growing. He was content. More than that, he was happy – he was building his family again and that felt good. And soon he would find others of his kind, maybe, but for now he could be safe and happy knowing that they had no enemies, and the world was as it should be. At least for a while.

"I love you, Dean," Castiel said, because it felt like it needed to be said. Castiel didn't say it often enough and, after his death experience, he felt like he needed to say it a lot more.

Dean sighed, closing his eyes, basking in the glow of his mate's affection. "Yeah, Cas. I love you too."


End file.
